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The nation’s Medicare system is breaking – and our senior citizens are paying the price. Last month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services slashed government reimbursements to physicians for the fifth year in a row, placing a severe financial burden on seniors and their doctors that will take effect in January – unless Congress intervenes first. The U.S. population aged 65 and over has grown nearly five times faster than the total population, according to 2020 census data , boosting the demand for doctors who treat seniors and accept Medicare insurance. At the same time, government payments to physicians who accept Medicare have been cut year after year. What’s more, Medicare has made no adjustments for inflation to physician payments in more than two decades, even in periods of record inflation. In fact, physicians today are paid nearly 30% less by Medicare than they were in 2001 when accounting for inflation, according to the American Medical Association. Over the same period, between 2001 to 2023, the cost of operating a medical practice increased 47%. The math is simple: When payments to physicians fall below the cost of delivering care, the system destabilizes. It becomes economically unsustainable for doctors to see Medicare patients, entire clinics are forced to close and seniors must seek care in places intended for other things, like emergency rooms. Unfortunately, without an urgent fix to our nation’s outdated Medicare reimbursement system, millions of American seniors are suffering the consequences. What does this look like in practice? Let’s take a composite case of real patient scenarios we have seen and heard as doctors and as members of Congress who hear regularly from constituents. A patient we will call Jean one day noticed a mole on her skin that was growing, darkening in color and starting to itch. Jean tried to make an appointment with her doctor, but her clinic had to close due to inadequate Medicare reimbursements. The earliest appointment she could find with a new doctor was at least three to four months away. That kind of wait time is typical of many metro areas across the country , especially as more doctors shut their doors and are unable to see Medicare patients at all. Unfortunately for Jean, in the months that followed, the mole grew even larger, and it began to hurt and bleed – so much so that she went to the emergency room at her nearest hospital. After waiting 10 hours to be seen, she was told she would need a biopsy of the mole. The biopsy showed that she had melanoma skin cancer that would require surgery and perhaps chemotherapy. Since Jean’s cancer was detected at a later stage, her health care costs included thousands of dollars of scans, procedures and drugs – instead of hundreds of dollars to remove the mole had it been caught early. Hospitals cannot be expected to compensate for shortages and long wait times in outpatient care caused by the underfunding of Medicare. Hospital emergency department overcrowding was already a problem before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the situation has only worsened. With an ever-expanding population of seniors, sending them to emergency rooms instead of doctor’s offices is not sustainable. ER overcrowding carries risks for safety, worse health outcomes for patients and financial damage for patients and the health care system. The average cost of treating a common medical problem at an ER is approximately $2,032, more than 12 times higher than treating the same issue in a physician’s office ($167). Insurance data shows that 18 million of the 27 million annual visits to U.S. emergency rooms are for “non-emergency” problems. That adds $32 billion in additional costs to our health system, much of which could be saved if the government were to adequately reimburse doctors for the costs of caring for Medicare patients in the first place. One solution is to ensure that Medicare payments grow with the Medicare Economic Index , which measures health care operating costs adjusting for inflation. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, the independent government agency that advises Congress on the Social Security program, has recommended that lawmakers tie Medicare payments to doctors to the index. Congress must act now and adjust the formula to stabilize the Medicare payment system permanently. That’s why two of us who are members of Congress – Reps. Bera and Bucshon – are co-sponsoring the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act , which would adjust the Medicare system to account for inflation. Medicare is a promise that the federal government made to American seniors – who have already paid their share in taxes into the system. We urge our fellow members of Congress and supporters of better, more cost-efficient health care for seniors to work together to pass this vital reform before the end of the year. Shadi Kourosh , M.D., M.PH, is an associate professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School and associate professor of public health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Ami Bera , M.D., is a Democratic U.S. congressman from California. Larry Bucshon , M.D., is a Republican U.S. congressman from Indiana.Ahead of second Trump term, California vows 'ironclad' abortion access
The Overwatch 2 devs added a secret new feature in the game’s latest update that wasn’t included in the patch notes – and it’s something players have requested for a long time. Back in Overwatch 1, the game had three unique PvP story events . These events contained a special feature that allowed players to see the health and status effects of everyone on their team at the top of their screen. This allowed support players to instantly see how their teammates were doing HP-wise and assist them. When Overwatch 2’s PvE story content was released in Season 6, this feature returned, but it was refined. Instead of being at the top, the devs moved the team’s HP to the bottom left side. The PvE campaign was ultimately reportedly canceled due to poor sales , but the teammate feature was a hit... So much so that players instantly requested that it be repurposed for the main PvP portion of OW2. Now, after years of waiting for this mechanic to be added to PvP, players have finally got their wish. Sort of. Overwatch 2 finally adds long-request UI feature, but there’s a catch As spotted by OW Cavalry, the latest Quick Play: Hacked event dubbed ‘Kingmaker’ has introduced this PvE feature, and it’s available in the game’s options settings. Players can enable it by going to their settings and selecting ‘PVP Team Overlay.’ This lets users see teammates’ health and status effects right above their own health bar. Party Frames might be coming soon to #Overwatch2 👀 The latest Quick Play: Hacked introduces new UI for viewing teammates' health and status. This can be toggled in the settings under "PVP Team Overlay." Do you want to see this in the main game? 💭 pic.twitter.com/BSNscU6bh0 Fans were quickly in favor of the option, with many insisting that it would be an extremely helpful quality-of-life change for support players. Related: “I think it’s a great addition to the game and will help everyone in the team,” one said . Another chimed in : “Been wanting this since I started playing support, my situational awareness is not ready for a mute team bro.” “Would also be nice to have a bit of customization with size and opacity, but for now this would be awesome to have so I don’t have to look at Leaderboard as much to tell if we’ve got numbers,” someone else suggested. God, yes please. Would also be nice to have a bit of customization with size and opacity, but for now this would be awesome to have so I don't have to look at Leaderboard as much to tell if we've got numbers. Interestingly, this change wasn’t included in the Kingmaker patch notes . Instead, they simply explain that Kingmaker is a limited-time mode that caps a role at two players. However, the role that only has one player receives a bonus effect, such as reduced cooldowns or a health buff. We’ll have to see if Blizzard decides to make this a permanent feature once Season 14 launches on December 10 alongside the latest tank hero Hazard .White House says at least 8 US telecom firms, dozens of nations impacted by China hacking campaign
QUÉBEC — Quebec Premier François Legault says he's looking at ways to end prayer in public places, including parks, as his government promises to table new legislation to strengthen secularism in schools. Legault made the comments during a press conference in Quebec City on Friday to mark the end of the fall legislative session. He said he wants to send a "very clear message to Islamists" that Quebec will fight against any disrespect of its fundamental values, including secularism. The premier said that recent reports of teachers allowing prayers in classrooms and preventing girls from playing sports, which have triggered an outcry in Quebec, are "totally unacceptable." "There are teachers who are bringing Islamist religious concepts into Quebec schools," he said. "I will definitely not tolerate that. We don't want that in Quebec." Legault then went a step further when asked by a reporter if he was also bothered by prayer in public places. "Seeing people on their knees in the streets, praying, I think we have to ask ourselves the question. I don't think it's something we should see," he said, adding that his government is considering whether it can legislate on the issue. He went on to say he doesn't want to see people praying "in public parks or public streets." When questioned about the constitutionality of banning public prayer, he said the government is "looking at all possibilities, including the use of the notwithstanding clause," which allows governments to override certain sections of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Images of Muslims praying in Montreal have sparked controversy in recent months, including when a group gathered in a city park to celebrate Eid al-Adha last June, prompting the borough mayor to muse about banning all religious events in public parks. In a statement, the Canadian Muslim Forum said Legault's comments suggest that some politicians view Muslims as second-class citizens. "These remarks add to a pattern of political rhetoric that unfairly targets Quebecers, especially those of Muslim faith, based solely on their backgrounds," the statement reads. Legault's comments come as the province grapples with a series of reports about Muslim religious practices appearing in some of the province's public schools. On Friday, Education Minister Bernard Drainville declared the government will introduce a new bill aimed at reinforcing secularism in Quebec schools. The announcement followed a Friday report in La Presse that documented students at a high school in Laval, north of Montreal, praying in classrooms and hallways and disrupting a play focused on sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy prevention. Drainville told reporters in Quebec City that the behaviour does not represent "our Quebec" and is "completely intolerable and unacceptable." "These acts of a religious nature clearly contravene secularism obligations," he said in a social media statement. "One can easily imagine the psychological impact that some of these behaviours may have had on students." The news story is the latest in a growing number of incidents reported at Quebec schools involving Muslim teachers and students. The wave of allegations was sparked by a government investigation, made public in October, that found a toxic climate at a Montreal elementary school. The report found that a group of teachers at Bedford school, mostly of North African descent, yelled at and humiliated students. Some teachers didn’t believe in learning disabilities and attributed students’ difficulties to laziness. Subjects like science and sex education were either ignored or barely taught, and girls were prevented from playing soccer. Eleven teachers have since been suspended from the school. The government is now looking into 17 schools it believes may have breached the province's secularism law. The report on those schools is expected in January, but Drainville says he can already confirm that the government is going to act. Quebec used the notwithstanding clause to shield the province's controversial secularism law, Bill 21, from constitutional challenges. That law prevents certain public sector workers, including teachers and police officers, from wearing religious symbols on the job. The government also invoked the clause to protect its contentious language law, Bill 96. On Friday, Legault said the protection of Quebec's identity has been one of his top priorities over the last year and repeated his claims that temporary immigration is threatening the French language in Montreal. He also reiterated that he's "open" to the idea of a Quebec constitution, following a recent recommendation from a committee tasked with coming up with ways to boost Quebec's autonomy. He said a constitution could enshrine Quebec's values, including secularism and equality between men and women. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2024. — By Maura Forrest in Montreal The Canadian PressHow Trump’s bet on voters electing him managed to silence some of his legal woesCarolyn Goodman passed the torch — or this case a gavel — to new Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley on Wednesday, marking a new era at City Hall as Berkley and Councilwoman Shondra Summers-Armstrong took their oath of office. Valley High School’s marching band filled the packed room with lively music, and confetti rained down as Goodman bid farewell at the start of the City Council meeting. “This is a phenomenal woman, and this is so exciting,” Goodman said about the new mayor. “The microphone and City Hall is yours.” “Shelley” chants broke out in the crowd. ‘I pledge to devote my life’ Berkley said she had intended to memorize her speech but had instead been busy learning the ins and outs of running her first meeting. She thanked Carolyn Goodman and Oscar Goodman for leading the City Council for a quarter century before Berkley won November’s runoff election against now-fellow Councilwoman Victoria Seaman. “Twenty five years of dedicated service from one family to any city is extraordinary,” said Berkley, a former U.S. congresswoman. Berkley thanked a plethora of people, including the 14 other candidates who had vied for the mayor’s post. “Thank you so much for running an issue-oriented, civil campaign,” she said. Berkley shared her roots to the city, which began in the early 1960s when her parents packed a car in New York state to move cross country. The young family had only intended to visit Las Vegas for a night, “and we never left.” “I’m very aware of the responsibility that you have entrusted me with,” Berkley said, “and I pledge to devote my life to working on behalf of the city of Las Vegas and the people who have chosen to make this remarkable city their home.” The mayor promised “unprecedented growth and prosperity,” adding: “We’re a world-class tourist destination. We should also be a world-class place to live and raise our families.” Berkley, 73, said in an earlier interview that she was prepared to serve her first four-year term and revisit her energy and well-being before deciding to run for re-election — capping her service at eight years maximum before retiring from elected office. Berkley and Summers-Armstrong inherit a city of nearly 650,000 residents and issues including the ongoing legal battle with the would-be developer of the defunct Badlands golf course , rising homelessness and a critical shortage of affordable housing. They will work alongside Mayor Pro Tem Brian Knudsen, Seaman and Councilwomen Olivia Diaz, Nancy Brune and Francis Allen-Palenske. ‘Let’s get to work’ Summers-Armstrong, who previously served in the Nevada Assembly, won her race to replace Cedric Crear , who did not seek re-election in his unsuccessful run for mayor. “It is really a privilege, and it’s an honor to serve Ward 5 and the city of Las Vegas,” the new councilwoman said. Her ward includes the Historic Westside. “This community is my community,” she said. “It has entrusted in me their hopes and their dreams for growth and jobs and redevelopment and advancement, and I will do my very best to work diligently with you to make these hopes and dreams come true.” She touted her parents, whom she said taught her and her sisters “professional decorum” and ingrained in them faith and a passion for public service. “Let’s get to work and do some really amazing things for Ward 5 and for the city of Las Vegas,” Summers-Armstrong concluded.
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