A striking example of the dubiousness of that maxim is the annual rite of fall for seniors—Medicare's Open Enrollment period, which extends through December 7. The government opens the door for beneficiaries to compare dozens of plans, each with its own premiums, deductibles, drug formularies, and provider networks, and to choose the one that best fits their health and their budget. Tens of millions of older Americans are told, in effect, to do their own research about which plan to choose, but many people do not review their options at all.

Continue to the full article  |  More articles

Most Americans are probably familiar with homicides from TV shows such as the "Law & Order" franchises, which have run for decades. They know that murder can be accomplished with a variety of weapons, poisons and even with bare hands. Less obvious is that it can be the direct result of government officials inducing people to distrust proven means of protecting themselves.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s falsehoods, conspiratorial thinking, and institutional sabotage have lowered U.S. vaccination rates, which has caused untold numbers of preventable illnesses and the foreseeable loss of human life.

Continue to the full article  |  More articles

This summer, a Cyclospora outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce sickened almost 13,000 people in 21 states, killing two. Investigators traced the illnesses to lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico, but the FDA closed its investigation on October 2 without determining how the food became contaminated, leaving questions about how to prevent similar outbreaks in the future.

A new Consumer Reports analysis of the oversight fiasco is damning: It documents conflicting agency updates, confusing recall notices, delays in obtaining supply-chain records, and the delayed enforcement of the FDA's Food Traceability Rule, which cannot be enforced for another two years.

Continue to the full article  |  More articles

Public health disasters do not always begin with a new pathogen. Sometimes they begin with a government official who teaches people to distrust proven means of protecting themselves.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has elevated that practice into a governing philosophy. His falsehoods, conspiratorial thinking, and institutional sabotage make him an enemy of the American people. The consequences extend beyond degraded public discourse. They include untold numbers of preventable illness and the foreseeable loss of human life.

Continue to the full article  |  More articles

Public-health disasters do not always begin with a new pathogen. Sometimes they begin with a government official who teaches people to distrust proven means of protecting themselves. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of Health and Human Services, has elevated that practice into a governing philosophy. His falsehoods, conspiratorial thinking, and institutional sabotage make him an enemy of the American people. The consequences extend beyond degraded public discourse. They include untold numbers of preventable illness and the foreseeable loss of human life.

Continue to the full article  |  More articles