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Editorial

Here’s how to lower prescription costs

In rejecting the pared down Build Back Better Act, Sen. Joe Manchin made clear that the only provision he still supports is codifying Medicare’s ability to negotiate prescription drug costs. Such a law would undoubtedly help hundreds, if not thousands, of West Virginians to contain the ever increasing cost of necessary medication. But there’s no reason to stop at only helping Medicare/Medicaid beneficiaries. The joke is that America is the only country where patients tell doctors what to prescribe them. And this is mostly true — only the U.S. and New Zealand allow ...

May the literary and photo tour of Children’s be the only tour you need

If you haven’t already, we recommend you read about David Beard’s recent tour of the new WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital, set to open at the end of September. His story can be found in the Sunday, July 24, newspaper along with some beautiful photos of the facility by Ron Rittenhouse. This is not self-promotion, though it may seem that way. We’re all certainly curious about the interior after months of seeing the colorfully lit exterior, and David’s story and Ron’s photos are the closest most of us will get to the new medical center — we hope. Talking about the new ...

Vote on EMS levy in Nov.

This November, voters will see a levy to fund Mon EMS on the ballot, now that the Monongalia County Commission has given the proposal its approval. As The Dominion Post reported, in its first year, the levy would add an additional 4.66 cents on every $100 of assessed value of Class II property (owner occupied) and 9.32 cents for every $100 of Class III/IV (rental). Those rates would increase to 4.70/9.40; 4.76/9.52; and 4.80/9.60 in years two, three and four. If passed, the levy would give Mon EMS an additional $17,888,598 over four years. Emergency medical services are one of ...

Is there a remedy for W.Va.’s poor ranking?

Statistics are an important tool but rarely the whole picture. There’s no better reminder of this than the announcement Medscape ranked West Virginia the third worst state for doctors. According to Medscape’s analysis, “West Virginia presents numerous challenges for doctors. The state ranks in the bottom two quintiles for most measures, including compensation, tax burden, malpractice payouts, adverse actions against doctors, competition and [medical] resident retention. … last in public health and had the second highest level of medical liability premium increases in 2021 ...

Boycott will hurt us more than banks

As the window closes for banks to prove they are in compliance with West Virginia’s new rules prohibiting the state from doing business with financial institutions “boycotting” fossil fuels, a new study examining the impacts of a similar Texas law may give insights to West Virginia’s financial future. First, some background: The West Virginia Legislature passed SB 262 in March and it became effective in June. In a twist that’s sparked wider debate on financial regulation, some experts question whether the state’s stance could extend to other controversial sectors, ...

COVID on the rise, but by how much?

Regular readers may have noticed we no longer display COVID-19 case numbers on the front page, nor do we include vaccine/testing information on A-2. The explanation for the latter is the simplest, so we’ll start there. In early June, Gov. Jim Justice announced the state would scale back community testing. The Mon County Health Department has discontinued its public testing and vaccine clinics, including the one at the WVU Rec Center. However, that doesn’t mean they’ve stopped offering vaccines and testing completely. If you need to be vaccinated for COVID or get a booster, ...