Out of pocket, Part II
Last month, I wrote about rising prescription drug costs, and made the point that a considerable portion of the cost of new drug development is borne by taxpayers (from the U.S. and other developed nations).I also noted that many drugs, including some of the newest “breakthrough” drugs, are available in other countries for a small fraction of the cost charged U.S. patients and... READ MORE
Out of your pocket
Even drugs you may never take are costing you money.Yes, that’s the way insurance (and Medicare) are supposed to work: group healthcare coverage averages the costs of the “many well” with those of the “relatively few ill” to come up with a reasonable cost we all pay.That is a good system, in general. Don’t we all prefer to know that, should we or someone... READ MORE
A time for thanks
Last month, I devoted my column to recognizing the writers on our staff, and our freelancers as well, who won recognition in two national writing competitions.I am very proud of the high-quality writing (and editing) featured each month in the Beacon, and of the people who devote their energies to providing our readers with topical, entertaining and useful articles.In addition, as each year ... READ MORE
Blowing our horn
Each year, we enter a selection of our writers’ original stories in the national journalism competitions of the North American Mature Publishers Association (NAMPA) and the National Mature Media Awards.We do this for two reasons: One, as a way to be sure we are keeping up the quality of our writing compared with other publications throughout the country.Two, because we’re pretty ... READ MORE
Get expos-ed in October
While the month of May is known as U.S. Older Americans Month, the month of October is the metro area’s Month of 50+Expos.Over a 12-day period this October, there will be 5 days of entertaining and informative events within easy driving distance of Howard County residents who are over 50 or love someone who is.In ColumbiaFirst, on Friday, Oct. 16, is the Howard County 50Plus Expo,... READ MORE
What could we have done?
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been going over and over in my mind what’s been reported about a recent murder on the Washington Metro.For those who didn’t hear about it, or perhaps missed the details, let me recap: A knifing took place in the early afternoon on the 4th of July aboard a train heading toward the National Mall for the Independence Day... READ MORE
Do we save too much?
Just a few years ago, before the Great Recession hit, economists were reporting a “negative savings rate” among Americans. That meant many of us were spending even more than we earned each year.How could that be? At the time, hard as it may be to remember now, the rising stock market and booming housing prices gave many Americans such a sense of wealth and optimism about the... READ MORE
Looking back and ahead
A reader wrote me recently to say she clipped and saved the “Man of Valor” column I wrote last year as a eulogy to my late father, and that she has read it many times since. She suggested I reprint it in our upcoming editions as a Father’s Day column.I was touched by the request. I am not reprinting it here, however, as the column is available on our website at... READ MORE
Plane thoughts
What I didn’t tell you in my column last month, about the future of print media, was that I wrote it partially in preparation for a speech I was to give on that topic at a national conference.It so happened that I flew to Chicago for the conference on March 24, the very day Germanwings Flight 9525 was intentionally crashed into the French Alps by its co-pilot.I fly on commercial... READ MORE
A future for print?
Sometimes it seems to me like the march of “progress” is so enamored of the bright, shiny future that it too readily jettisons the best of the past. This particularly feels like the case regarding the way many have dismissed the world of print in the face of today’s ever-changing digital devices.Now, I’m no troglodyte. I use a computer and an Android smartphone all... READ MORE
