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Joondeph: Prior authorization is gatekeeping with red tape—can RFK Jr. cut it?
American Thinker, Approved, Commentary, National

Joondeph: Prior authorization is gatekeeping with red tape—can RFK Jr. cut it?

By Dr. Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker Preauthorization, also called prior authorization (PA), is a process where healthcare insurance companies must approve before paying for medications, procedures, surgeries, or other medical services.  These are usually standard and approved therapies. For medications, PA approval is required for many FDA-approved (though expensive) drugs, used according to label, meaning in accordance with the detailed package insert. MAHA rainmaker, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, is trying to fix this problem. https://youtu.be/g6VoqXmiLrw?feature=shared This process started in the 1960s as part of Medicare and Medicaid’s “utilization review” to reduce unnecessary hospital stays and manage c...
Joondeph: Is MAGA Still on Track After the Escalator Ride 10 Years Ago?
American Thinker, Approved, Commentary, National

Joondeph: Is MAGA Still on Track After the Escalator Ride 10 Years Ago?

By Dr. Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker Businessman and T.V. personality Donald Trump descended the golden escalator at Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan on June 16, 2015 to announce his bid to become president of the United States.  Trump was seen as a novelty candidate, running mainly to boost his ego and promote The Apprentice or his next entertainment project. His polling before the ride was weak. Monmouth University showed Trump at 2%, tied with Carly Fiorina and Lindsey Graham, ahead of only Bobby Jindal and John Kasich. He trailed the rest of the field, including Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, Scott Walker, Jeb Bush, and Ben Carson.  But two months later, in August 2015, the same poll showed Trump with a 26% lead in the Rep...
Joondeph: The summer of Cloward-Piven is here
American Thinker, Commentary, National

Joondeph: The summer of Cloward-Piven is here

By Dr. Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker The "Summer of Love" of 2020 refers to the period of social unrest, protests, riots, and billions of dollars in property damage following the death of George Floyd that May. It involved widespread demonstrations against law enforcement and perceived racial injustice, fueled by the Black Lives Matter movement and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Five years later, just a few weeks before summer officially begins, we are kicking off the “Summer of Cloward-Piven.” Cloward-Piven is rarely mentioned by corporate media and is seldom heard from the lips of elected officials. Instead, it is regarded as a conspiracy theory only discussed on A.M. talk radio by knuckle-dragging, white, heterosexual, Christian Trump supporters.  ...
Joondeph: Are vaccine injuries hiding behind the ‘long COVID’ label?
American Thinker, Approved, National

Joondeph: Are vaccine injuries hiding behind the ‘long COVID’ label?

By Dr. Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker The COVID pandemic has resulted in widespread infection and vaccination throughout the United States. According to data from USAFacts, more than 81% of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. 96.4% of Americans have COVID antibodies in their blood, indicating previous infection. Most of these two groups overlap, and all vaccinated people should have COVID antibodies in their blood, as the vaccine prompts the body to produce spike proteins to elicit an immune response and facilitate antibody production. The issue is that mRNA vaccines lack an off switch, meaning that vaccinated individuals may produce spike protein for weeks, months, or even years without any way to control that...
Joondeph: Make prescription drugs affordable again
American Thinker, Approved, Commentary, National

Joondeph: Make prescription drugs affordable again

By Dr. Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker Last week, President Donald Trump grabbed his Sharpie and signed an executive order to tackle the sky-high prescription drug prices in the U.S. The plan? A “Most Favored Nation” (MFN) pricing model that aligns U.S. drug costs with those of other countries.  Sound familiar? Trump tried this during his first term, but the courts rejected it, and Biden hit the 'undo' button. Here’s the lowdown on why Trump is back at it, what’s at stake, and whether this bold move will stick. Trump has promised cheaper drugs since his campaign days, alongside crowd-pleasers like building the wall and draining the swamp. Americans are fed up, paying nearly three times more for medications than people in other wealthy c...
Joondeph: Trump Could Put Hillary Clinton in Charge of Immigration
American Thinker, Approved, Commentary, National, Top Stories

Joondeph: Trump Could Put Hillary Clinton in Charge of Immigration

By Dr. Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker Watching legacy media might give one the impression that President Donald Trump is cleaning house, deporting the tens of millions of illegal aliens allowed into America during the terms of all recent past presidents. And that border czar Tom Homan is leading a scorched earth effort to round up each and every illegal alien and send them packing. At least that’s the perception one might have by watching network or cable news. What is the reality? How are Trump’s “massive” and “unprecedented” deportations going?  Are illegal aliens being rapidly deported as Trump promised in his 2024 presidential campaign? Or is the media gaslighting Americans, pushing a fear porn narrative that is far from reality? How many dep...
Joondeph: Democrats are dying on the most unpopular hills in politics
American Thinker, Commentary, National, Top Stories

Joondeph: Democrats are dying on the most unpopular hills in politics

By Dr. Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker The phrase “the hill you choose to die on” is an expression meaning a belief, opinion, or position that one is fiercely committed to defending, even when it is impractical or contrary to one’s long-term goals. It suggests a willingness to fight or resist to the point of losing, rather than pivoting, conceding, or compromising. In the political world, most players lack conviction or principles. They are swayed by the political winds, the latest opinion polls, or the size of the most recent campaign contributions they receive. Their positions are primarily situational, influenced by their proximity to the next reelection bid or which Sunday morning talk show has invited them as guests. Democrats, finding themselves in the minor...
Joondeph: “Trust me, I’m a doctor” doesn’t mean what it used to
American Thinker, Approved, Commentary, National, Top Stories

Joondeph: “Trust me, I’m a doctor” doesn’t mean what it used to

By Dr. Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker “Trust me, I’m a doctor” is a humorous expression that suggests one’s opinion should be accepted without question, regardless of whether the person offering the opinion has actual medical expertise or experience. The assumption is that physicians are knowledgeable, competent, and trustworthy. At one time, few would have questioned that assumption. In 2013, Rasmussen Reports surveyed American adults and discovered that a significant majority, specifically 81%, trusted their doctor.  Four years later in 2017, that number was even higher, with 93% of patients trusting their regular doctor. A funny thing happened in late 2019 and early 2020. In late 2019, almost no one had ever heard of COVID, coronaviru...
Joondeph: This is no time for MAGA to go wobbly
American Thinker, Approved, Commentary, National

Joondeph: This is no time for MAGA to go wobbly

By Dr. Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once reprimanded President George H.W. Bush with: "This is no time to go wobbly." A variation of those words, for MAGA now, seem appropriate. Thatcher's words occurred in 1990 when Bush considered how to respond to Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait – whether to adopt a military response or not. Today, there is an invasion of another sort, President Donald Trump, DOGE, and the MAGA coalition mounting a full-on attack on the international deep state, globalists, and New World Order, the latter promoted by that same President Bush. Trump’s assault spans multiple fronts, both foreign and domestic, as well as economic and social issues. America’s Southern border is nearly cl...
Joondeph: Why Do Democrats Hate Women and Girls?
American Thinker, Approved, National

Joondeph: Why Do Democrats Hate Women and Girls?

By Dr. Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker Democrats and their corporate media allies have co-opted the popular narrative on various social issues, including sexism. Republicans provide little, if any, pushback for fear of what the low-rated Sunday talk shows or the Washington Post might say about them. The social issue du jour is transgenderism. Democrats are the party of transgenderism, which represents only a small fraction of the population. However, if you watched prime-time comedy or drama television shows, you might believe that half of America is gender-confused.  Ironically, the Democrat party platform claims to support women. “We are committed to ensuring full equality for women. We will combat biases across economic, political, and social life tha...