Obama Jumps Into Health Care Fray

Staff / Truthdig Aug 12, 2009 So far, we've had the angry protests, the scuffles at suddenly volatile town hall meetings, and no resolution of the health care reform argument from our elected leaders, but President Barack Obama is now embarking on a campaign to try to sway public opinion on the issue using a series of town hall meetings across the country Updated. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Sen. Sanders Unfiltered: Wall Street Off the Rails

Staff / Truthdig Aug 11, 2009 In this installment of Brave New Films' "Senator Sanders Unfiltered," the independent federal legislator from Vermont points out what's becoming hard to dispute or ignore, however much other members of Congress might do both: Wall Street, along with the pharmaceutical and insurance industries, practically runs Washington. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Americans Double Down on Antidepressants

Staff / Truthdig Aug 4, 2009 The number of Americans who are exploring the concept of better living through antidepressant chemistry nearly doubled in the decade from 1996 to 2005, according to a study published in Archives of General Psychiatry -- and that was well before the economic meltdown. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Public Option or Bust

Staff / Truthdig Jun 24, 2009 Health care reform is shaping up as astronomically expensive, but that's only if private insurers and Big Pharma get their way, writes Clinton-era Labor Secretary Robert Reich. Without competition from the government -- a public option -- the health care industry will continue to gouge and Americans will still be in the weeds, a trillion dollars poorer. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Beware the Bad-Faith Reformer

Joe Conason / Truthdig May 14, 2009 Uplifting as it was to see insurance executives, pharmaceutical manufacturers, hospital officials and doctors gather at the White House on May 11, pledging cooperation toward health care reform, nothing they said or did was inconsistent with precisely the opposite objective. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Baucus’ Raucous Caucus

Amy Goodman / Truthdig May 13, 2009 Single-payer advocates have been protesting in Senate Finance Committee hearings, chaired by Democratic Montana Sen. Max Baucus. Last week, at a committee hearing with 15 industry speakers, not one represented the single-payer perspective. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Go Ahead and Sue

Staff / Truthdig Mar 5, 2009 The Supreme Court stood by that most American of rights Wednesday -- the right to sue. By a 6-3 vote, the court decided that federal oversight and warning labels do not protect the pharmaceutical industry from lawsuits. The one-armed Vermont musician involved in the case was thrilled, and not just because she got to keep $6.7 million. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

OxyContin Maker Fined for Pushing Misinformation

Staff / Truthdig May 12, 2007 OxyContin, also known as "hillbilly heroin," is an effective drug for pain sufferers but also a highly coveted addictive opiate. Just ask Rush Limbaugh. Now the company that makes "Oxy" will have to pay $634.5 million in Justice Department fines for claiming that the painkiller, which has been linked to hundreds of overdose deaths, is less addictive and subject to abuse than the competition. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Curing the Female ‘Curse’

Staff / Truthdig Apr 21, 2007 Birth control pill manufacturer Wyeth has whipped up a new product, Lybrel, that will not only prevent pregnancies but will apparently eliminate menstrual periods altogether. Does this development constitute a liberating break from biology for women or a subtle message that their bodies need to be somehow 'fixed'? Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Moore’s Cuban Tour

Staff / Truthdig Apr 16, 2007 For his next documentary, "Sicko," provocateur Michael Moore apparently invited a group of 9/11 responders to accompany him to Cuba and sample the country's socialized healthcare system. Harmful stunt or good medicine? Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Joe Conason: Sen. Lieberman Literally in Bed With Drug Lobby

Joe Conason / Truthdig Jul 13, 2006 The senator who would lecture us on ethics drafted a bill in 2005 that made generous giveaways to pharmaceutical companies -- one month after his wife went to work in the pharmaceuticals division of a major lobbying and PR firm. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Michael Moore: Going Beyond ‘HMO’s Suck’

Staff / Truthdig Jul 12, 2006 The guerrilla documentary filmmaker's next movie, "Sicko," will be "a comedy about 45 million people with no health care in the richest country on earth." But it's not just "a movie that tells you that HMOs and the pharmaceutical companies suck. Everybody knows that. I'd like to show you some things you don't know." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )