But does anyone in the debate consider the possibility that ER visits only represent a very small percentage of the overall costs to the health care system? Does anyone consider the possibility of perhaps just socializing the costs for ER visits--by using taxpayer dollars to implicitly insure the uninsured who use an ER, while leaving the rest of the system alone?

According to the article, the issue is that doctors in many areas are not allowed to prescribe generics directly. They must prescribe the name brand, and a generic may be substituted if it is identical to the name brand. In this case, the name brand would no longer be offered, meaning the generics may no longer be offered.

Most generic drugs are dispensed because state laws allow or require pharmacists to substitute a cheaper generic when a doctor prescribes the brand-name drug. But if the brand-name version is different from the generic, then the substitution cannot be made.

How do they insulate themselves from generic competition by stopping sales of their own brand name?

If it isn't based on the "Blade Runner 2" novel, I'll give it a shot. The BR2 novel was one of the worst written messes I've ever seen

Rick Deckard had left his career as a blade runner and the gritty, neon-lit labyrinth of L.A. behind, going to the emigrant colony of Mars to live incognito with Sarah Tyrell. But when a movie about Deckard's life begins shooting, old demons start to surface. The most bizarre and mysterious is a talking briefcase--the voice belonging to Deckard's most feared adversary. The briefcase tells Deckard that he's the key to a replicant revolution back on Earth. Deckard must deliver the briefcase--the secret contents--to the replicants of the outer colonies before he is tracked down and killed. Is the briefcase lying? Who is really after Deckard? And who is the little girl who claims her name is Rachael? Once again Deckard is on the run from a sinister force determined to destroy him--and already closing in.

As the article points out, the only reason this was able to work was because one of the upstreams didn't filter announcements correctly. So instead of one provider doing something simple, the "fix" is for the rest of the world to do something complex?

As I said above, this does not prove causation but sure as hell does indicate a link.

I really don't get why people are against science when it comes to vaccines. Against it to irrational religious levels.

SEC. 309. PROCEDURES FOR THE RETENTION OF INCIDENTALLY ACQUIRED
            COMMUNICATIONS.
        (a) Definitions.--In this section:
                (1) Covered communication.--The term ``covered communication''
        means any nonpublic telephone or electronic communication acquired
        without the consent of a person who is a party to the
        communication, including communications in electronic storage.
[...]
(b) Procedures for Covered Communications.--
                (1) Requirement to adopt.--Not later than 2 years after the
        date of the enactment of this Act each head of an element of the
        intelligence community shall adopt procedures approved by the
        Attorney General for such element that ensure compliance with the
        requirements of paragraph (3).

(3) Procedures.--
                        (A) Application.--The procedures required by paragraph (1)
                shall apply to any intelligence collection activity not
                otherwise authorized by court order (including an order or
                certification issued by a court established under subsection
                (a) or (b) of section 103 of the Foreign Intelligence
                Surveillance Act of 1978 (50 U.S.C. 1803)), subpoena, or
                similar legal process that is reasonably anticipated to result
                in the acquisition of a covered communication to or from a
                United States person and shall permit the acquisition,
                retention, and dissemination of covered communications subject
                to the limitation in subparagraph (B).
                        (B) Limitation on retention.--A covered communication shall
                not be retained in excess of 5 years, unless--

Government forcing medical procedures on anyone is really not something we want, especially since government won't take responsibility for the (admittedly unlikely) consequences of a bad result.

Under the NCVIA, the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP) was created [in 1986] to provide a federal no-fault system for compensating vaccine-related injuries or death by establishing a claim procedure involving the United States Court of Federal Claims and special masters.

We need better education to counteract the Jenny McCarthys.

As we have increased the number of vaccines being given to children, we have also seen an increase in debilitating illnesses.

Yeah yeah, correlation does not prove causation but we can't even study at this point because anyone questioning is an "Anti Vac Whacko".

How about, if you come down with something, it's your problem for not getting yourself vaccinated.

if the public good is really being served here by improving safety of citizens, why isn't the discussion framed more along these lines?

Pretty sure grocery stores do pay for repairs/stock loss/insurance through increasing the price of their goods. How else would they do it?

Also, waterboarding was done on 3 prisoners, though the media would have you believe every single prisoner in gitmo had it done to them.

The CIA has maintained that only three prisoners were ever subjected to waterboarding, but the report alludes to evidence that it may have been used on others, including photographs of a well-worn waterboard at a black site where its use was never officially recorded. The committee said the agency could not explain the presence of the board and water-dousing equipment at the site, which is not named in the report, but is believed to be the âoeSalt Pitâ in Afghanistan.

I'm sorry, I don't rent my operating systems. Or my applications for that matter.