Virtually anyone in America who takes a prescription medication has that medication processed and paid for through a for-profit business called a Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) company. These companies provide a very valuable service in the transaction between your local pharmacy and the health insurers or other payers like state or federal health programs I...Continue reading
Men and breast cancer. That’s not a phrase you see often. But you should, because although breast cancer is most commonly thought of as a disease affecting women, it does occur in men as well. Many people mistakenly believe that because men don’t have “breasts” they don’t get breast cancer. Truth is that all people...Continue reading
We are all concerned about the cost of medications. As the leading health advocacy and education non-profit for advancing the comprehensive health of boys and men in America, Men’s Health Network (MHN) focuses on policy issues and strategies to help enhance the health of boys and men. Medications are one of the most cost-effective ways...Continue reading
Dear Mr. Dad: I remember a thoughtful column you wrote a few years ago about abortion and the need for men and women to talk about it. I’m wondering whether your thinking has changed in light of the draconian anti-abortion laws in Georgia, Alabama, and other places. I’m also wondering what you think about the...Continue reading
Dear Mr. Dad: In one of your columns a month or so ago, you took a swipe at Title IX, which most people think has done a great job of bringing equity to college sports. You even called it “dangerous.” I don’t see what there is to complain about. Please explain. A: Thank you for asking....Continue reading
The decisive victory for Proposition 4, restoring voting rights to 1.5 million ex-felons in Florida, is a big win for American democracy, yet the problems of 17-20 million formerly incarcerated Americans extend far beyond restoring their right to vote. The list is long: employer hiring bias, ex-felons’ lack of skills, poverty and homelessness, health and...
The recent “pink wave” swept into Congress an unprecedented number of women, many of whom put women’s health high on their list of priorities. There’s no question that much can—and should—be done to improve women’s health. However, there’s also no question that a legislative focus on women’s health continues to ignore a far larger problem:...Continue reading
Derrick, a 28-year-old Richmond, Ca., man with an associate’s degree, loves his job doing after-school mentoring, tutoring, and coaching sports with elementary students in west Oakland, but with only 21 hours at work each week at $12.50 per hour, he struggles to pay his $1,400 rent and take care of his 1-year-old daughter. “I like...
Steven Wilkerson, a former Marine who fought in Iraq and a father of three, makes $8 an hour at a Tampa fast-food restaurant. He usually gets off work and takes the bus home at 10 p.m., too late to see his kids before they go to bed. Wilkerson, 28, is just one of millions of...
Black Friday, Thanksgiving, and NFL Sundays aren’t the only things happening in November. Today kicks off the annual open enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act aka Obamacare. With it brings a slew of options for millions of Americans shopping for health insurance for 2019. But are you confused about where to buy insurance on...Continue reading