Tag Archives: AFM

Sep 25 2023

Credit Scores on Medical Debt


Armstrong Economics Blog/Disease Re-Posted Sep 25, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

It is a common misconception that unpaid medical bills will not hurt your credit score. Medical debt is the leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States. Health care costs are unsustainable and a short hospital stay could easily ruin the most fiscally conservative person’s finances. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is now considering removing medical debt and collections from credit reports.

It is a step in the right direction, but it avoids the real issue of health care costs and allowing Big Pharma, insurance agencies, and hospitals rob the sick. The pricing is so unclear that many hesitate to get care until they’re very ill. Americans know it is common practice to ask for an itemized medical bill and bargain with hospitals for months on end. Over 100 million A report from the CFPB found that 20% of all Americans – 66 million people – are in medical debt.

“Research shows that medical bills have little predictive value in credit decisions, yet tens of millions of American households are dealing with medical debt on their credit reports,” CFPB Director Rohit Chopra said in a statement. “When someone gets sick, they should be able to focus on getting better, rather than fighting debt collectors trying to extort them into paying bills they may not even owe.”

We all know families struggling to pay medical bills. I had a friend whose young daughter fell ill. He managed to accumulate well over $1,000,000 in medical debt in just a few months. The debt uprooted his family’s lives on top of dealing with a sick child, and they were forced to sell their home. Should they be forced to pay a higher mortgage on a smaller home because of their lowered credit score? The medical debt does not indicate in any way that he is financially irresponsible or unworthy of a loan.

Medical debt should not affect a person’s credit score. Credit scores in and of themselves are a topic for another day. Unlike student or credit card debt, people do not choose to take on this debt and are largely unaware of the costs until the final insurance bill comes in. This could be one small step in the right direction, but ultimately, the medical industry must be prevented from robbing the sick.

Nov 30 2022

48,500 Year Old Zombie Virus Revived by Scientists in Russia


Mr Scientific Published originally on Rumble on November 30, 2022

https://rumble.com/embed/v1vfs1c/?pub=as0d9

Recently, scientists have revived a 48,500-year-old zombie virus that was stuck under a frozen lake in Serbia, Russia. This discovery brings light to the possibility of a public health emergency caused by a new virus emerging from the side effect of climate change and global warming.

Aug 21 2020

Gamma-Rays – Solar Minimum – Volcanoes – Human Immune System


Armstrong Economics Blog/Disease

Re-Posted Aug 21, 2020 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: Disease cycle and two way streets
I had a small light come on for me that is big. Here it is, what if during the Disease cycle that is linked to the sun cycle is a two way street? What if at the same time that solar output is low and weather is unstable leading to pestilence. Here it is, something that I have not seen none if very little discussed about the effects of the extra Gamma Radiation that occurs at this time also due to the weak magnetosphere from what I briefly looked at this type of radiation lowers the immune system so there you have it I connected some dots what do you think?
Peace
LP

ANSWER: There have been many studies on the impact of UV and gamma radiation during solar changes and events. Gamma-rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation, as are radio waves, infrared radiation, ultraviolet radiation, X-rays, and microwaves. Gamma-rays can be used to treat cancer, and gamma-ray bursts are studied by astronomers. I have also reported that our correlation models also show that solar minimums correspond to increased volcanic activity. Volcanic winters take place during solar minimums. It certainly seems that gamma-rays may be the reason volcanoes erupt more during these periods. This certainly also reduces food production and increases disease, presumably because of a rise in malnutrition. However, since gamma-rays are also used to treat cancer, there is at least a basis to warrant further investigation if the increase in gamma-rays during solar minimums impact certain susceptible people or those with particular DNA sequences.

May 18 2020

Supreme Court Upheld no Liability for Death by Vaccine


Armstrong Economics Blog/Disease

Re-Posted May 18, 2020 by Martin Armstrong

The Supreme Cout held in Bruesewitz v. Wyeth, 562 U.S. 223 (2011), that the section of the Vaccine Act of 1986 preempts all vaccine design defect claims against vaccine manufacturers. The case was decided on February 22, 2011. The Court, in a 6-2 opinion by Justice Scalia, held that the “plaintiffs design defect claims [were] expressly preempted by the Vaccine Act.” Thus, the court affirmed laws that vaccine manufacturers are not liable for vaccine-induced injury or death if they are “accompanied by proper directions and warnings.”

This was a very disappointing decision. They ruled that the Act’s structural quid pro quo also leads to the same conclusion. The vaccine manufacturers fund an informal, efficient compensation program for vaccine injuries in exchange for avoiding costly tort litigation and the occasional disproportionate jury verdict. Taxing their product to fund the compensation program, while leaving their liability for design defect virtually unaltered, would hardly coax them back into the market.

Apr 10 2020

Larry Kudlow Outlines Internal Discussions and Way-Points Toward Re-Opening the U.S. Economy…


Posted originally on The Conservative Tree House on April 9, 2020 by 

Sean Spicer interviews NEC Director Larry Kudlow about the administration’s thinking toward re-opening the U.S. economy.  According to Kudlow internal conversations currently include: whether geographic regions can be opened; whether specific job types can be opened; and what influences the timing around re-opening.

Apr 10 2020

White House Coronavirus Task Force Briefing – 5:00pm ET Livestream…


Posted originally on The Conservative Tree House on April 9, 2020 by 

Unfortunately, with President Trump effectively communicating the latest information on the federal efforts to mitigate COVID-19, more corporate U.S. resistance media have decided not to carry the live broadcasts from the White House task force briefings.

Today at 5:00pm ET the White House will hold a briefing for the public and media on the latest mitigation efforts against the coronavirus. [Livestream Links Below]

White House Livestream Link – Fox News Livestream Link – RSBN Livestream

.

.

Apr 10 2020

Pelosi Uses Senator Ben Cardin to Block Additional Small Business Relief Funds….


Posted originally on The Conservative Tree House on April 9, 2020 by 

The initial coronavirus relief funding package (CARES Act) included $380 billion targeted to small businesses as part of the larger congressional relief package.  Within the SBA section small and medium businesses can apply for loans to cover payroll (75%), called payroll protection plan (ppp); and expenses (25%).  If the PPP funding is used to keep employees on payroll the loan is forgiven.   Thousands of businesses have applied.

Due to the success of the SBA targeted funding, the $380 billion may run out before all of the applications are covered.  Treasury Secretary Mnuchin asked Speaker Pelosi and Senate Leader McConnell for an additional $250 billion infusion into the program.

Senator McConnell framed a bill to provide the additional funds and asked for unanimous consent to advance the legislation.  However, speaker Pelosi doesn’t want to miss an opportunity to add pet project (constituent funding) to the bill.  Speaker Pelosi instructed Senator Ben Cardin to object to the unanimous consent request and block the funds.

WASHINGTON – Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked a Republican push to unanimously pass a bill to put $250 billion more into a loan program for small businesses devastated by the coronavirus pandemic.

With only a few senators in the Capitol, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tried to approve the measure by a unanimous vote. Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., objected to the request, stalling the legislation.

Speaking on the Senate floor, McConnell said he was not “talking about changing any policy language” the parties negotiated last month as part of an unprecedented $2 trillion emergency spending package. He urged Democrats not to “block emergency aid you do not even oppose just because you want something more” — tweaks to the small business aid program and more emergency funding for hospitals and states, a proposal Democratic leaders outlined Wednesday. (read more)

..”Forget the stupid proles…. Our plan must include destroying the economy, if I am to retain control over the gavel.”…

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Apr 9 2020

The USA Economy Locked Up, Why?


The longer this plannedemic drags out, the angrier Americans should become.

We have good reason to be angry. Our liberties are being stripped away in the name of ’safety,’ but there have always been diseases and death. It’s part of life.

At the beginning of the 1800s, one in seven people died of tuberculosis. The Industrial Revolution was not shut down because of it. Tens of thousands of people die of the flu each year, but now the globalists are fanning the flames of fear in order to get their way. All flu cases are now considered to be ‘Covid-19.’

Hospitals are changing the cause of death to the coronavirus even when it’s not the case.

The ‘authorities’ such as Dr. Fauci can’t be trusted.

He’s a Bill Gates man! They are running a script and we are obeying them in lockstep fashion. It’s disgusting!

George Soros, Bill Gates, Henry Kissinger, and the rest at the very top of the pyramid haven’t been very successful with their climate change bunk, but their goals have always remained the same. To achieve them, they’ve now pulled out the epidemic card. Gates ran scenarios through his super computer to see if it would work and so far it’s all going according to their plan. They want to shut down our economy and deindustrialize us. They want socialism and serfdom. Then we will become more dependent on government—a government they control. The central bankers know their debt money system has become untenable. They want to replace it with a cashless society. The bankers know a digital currency will mean easier taxation, tracking, and control. They want a social credit system to go along with it. That will be a way to control free speech. Nobody will want to cross the globalist bankers and get their ‘credits’ trimmed or shut off completely.

The cabal wants Agenda 21 and global governance to become a reality. They want us out of the country and into their cities. They want us chipped, tracked, and obedient.

They are evil and they’re using their corporate mass media pound out a steady drumbeat of fear while offering their high tech enslavement as a way to make the fear go away.

Stop being afraid. Stand tall. NEVER take Bill Gates’ vaccine.

It’s time to get back to work.  Free the economy and save our jobs.

Look for an Easter Miracle!

—Ben Garrison

Apr 9 2020

Rhapsody by Queen on COVID-19


Armstrong Economics Blog/Disease

re-Posted Apr 9, 2020 by Martin Armstrong

Apr 9 2020

Should America completely trust the COVID-19 medical experts?


Today, two physicians essentially control the $22 trillion U.S. economy

Lee Cary image

Re-Posted from The Canada Free Press By  —— Bio and Archives—April 8, 2020

Should America completely trust the COVID-19 medical experts?Today, two physicians essentially control the $22 trillion U.S. economy.

Above, on the President’s far right, is Dr. Anthony Stephen Fauci. He has been Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984. He’s described by The Atlantic as someone “America Is Thirsty for…as crushable as a pop star”. In an op-ed entitled “Thank God the Doctor Is In,” New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd called Tony “a national treasure”. Yet, his posture above screams “I’m not comfortable with what Trump says”. Tony is not being assigned any of the Left’s blame for the government’s alleged, initial, fumbled response to the COVID-19 outbreak. He’s immune from criticism.  

Above, on the President’s far right, is Dr. Anthony Stephen Fauci. He has been Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984. He’s described by The Atlantic as someone “America Is Thirsty for…as crushable as a pop star”. In an op-ed entitled “Thank God the Doctor Is In,” New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd called Tony “a national treasure”. Yet, his posture above screams “I’m not comfortable with what Trump says”. Tony is not being assigned any of the Left’s blame for the government’s alleged, initial, fumbled response to the COVID-19 outbreak. He’s immune from criticism.  

To the President’s far left is Dr. Deborah Leah Birx, the Coronavirus Response Coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force. She specializes in HIV/AIDS immunology, vaccine research, and global health. In 2014, she was appointed Coordinator of the United States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS as U.S. Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy.  Since 2014, Ambassador Birx has overseen the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). What follows focuses on Birx  and PEPFAR. She is pictured below in that role. 

Dr. Deborah Leah Birx, PEPFAR.To start, if you’ll review the Canada Free Press (CFP) article entitled “Dr. Who and the Clintons” that posted on April 3 last, you’ll have a leg-up on tracking with what follows.

So, what’s PEPFAR? Here’s one official answer from the Federal Government:

“The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is the U.S. government’s response to the global HIV/AIDS epidemic and represents the largest commitment by any nation to address a single disease in history. Thanks to American leadership and generosity, alongside the work of many partners, PEPFAR has saved millions of lives, averted millions of infections, and changed the course of the epidemic.” 

Over the years, one of PEPFAR’s “many partners” has been CHAI – the Clinton Health Access Initiative – a project of the Clinton Foundation (CF).

Here’s how PEPFAR relates to the United States Agency for International Development – AKA USAID:

  • USAID is a U.S. Government INDEPENDENT AGENCY, directly accountable to POTUS, tasked to implement the President’s foreign policy in cooperation with the State Department. In 2018, its global budget was about $20 billion.
  • PEPFAR is an INTERAGENCY INITIATIVE (that cooperates with USAID) accountable to the Department of State. From 2014-2019, PEPFAR’s near-flatline budget averaged about $6 billion. In 2020, it dropped to $4.9 billion—a cut attributed to President Trump by the LA Times.

In a slide presentation at a Global Fund, To fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (GF) gathering in January 2014, at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, it was noted that the GF partners with PREFAR, plus several other “Stakeholders groups” to fulfill its mission.  Note the reference, in the far-right block below, to the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) among the stakeholders.

Global Fund, To fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria

Just what is the Global Fund? According to the USAID website:

“The Global Fund (GF) is an international financing organization, designed to accelerate the end of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria epidemics by providing support to countries in the response to the three diseases. It aims to attract and disburse additional resources to prevent and treat these diseases. USG provides the highest contribution to the GF worldwide.”

So, GF, WHO, PEPFAR, CHAI, USAID, etc., are one big happy conglomeration of benevolent government organizations and NGOs funded from a variety of sources. Collectively, they offer to the Clinton Foundation/CHAI a fertile ground for grant-hunting.

Has PEPFAR been a source of grants to CHAI? The short answer is—Yes, often. More on that ahead.

The Clinton Foundation Whistleblowers, first introduced to CFP readers as “Batman & Robin” in March 2019, addressed the alliance between CHAI and PEP in a long tweet on April 7, 2020.  The twitter link is here.  The content is rendered below in straight-text form:

“Clinton Foundation Whistleblowers (Doyle-Moynihan): Given the now daily presence of Dr. Birx & Dr. Fauci in our lives and the fact that Dr. Birx is US head of PEPFAR and US representative to the board of the Global Fund, let’s navigate these paths in re. Clinton Fdn (stick with me).

A review of PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) in Country Operational Plans: from 2007-2018 indicates that there were 1,511 references to the CFdn and/or CHAI (Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative; Clinton Health Access Initiative) in those plans.
[See Country and Regional Operational Plans – United States Department of State]

Lots of engagement. By year, the numbers look as follows: ‘07/68x; ‘08/293x; ‘09/474x; ‘10/237x; ‘11/55x; ‘12/147x; ‘13/160x; ‘14/4x; ‘15/26x; ‘16/36x; 17/16x. So what do we see here? During #HillaryClinton tenure as Secretary of State (recall that she controlled the purse strings for USAID inc PEPFAR) the Clinton Foundation worked ‘in partnership with’, ‘in concert with’, ‘along with’ a total of 931x of 1511 total = 60% of Total interactions. Did somebody say ‘conflict of interest’? Recall once again that there was no IG in State during HRC’s tenure. I can guess why President Obama allowed that to happen but we don’t guess. Back to the data.

What countries represented the greatest action for the CF? Nigeria, 232x; Zambia, 135x; Uganda, 102x; Ethiopia, 95x; India, 93x.  Who (pardon the pun) was head of Ethiopia Ministry of Health (‘05-‘12) and chair of the Global Fund (‘09-‘11) at this time? Current WHO chair Dr. Tedros.  How convenient. I am pleased to see @realDonaldTrump heavily critique #WHO earlier this afternoon. Hopefully he might read our materials here @LWDoyleUSA.

A review of many of the grants from the PEPFAR link above indicates that the CFDn and CHAI were often working in concert with many of the following organizations: #HarvardUniversity, #ColumbiaUniversity (Mailman School of Public Health) Health Alliance International (affiliated with the #UniversityofWashington), Boston-based Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

These universities and 501c3 charities were all part of what designated in late 2002 (a full 2 years before the Clinton Library was completed) as the Clinton HIV/AIDS Treatment Consortium.

Where was the IRS approval for this activity as required of any public charity that looks to change its mission and purpose which was strictly for the building of a presidential library? This is the key Question to solving the Clinton Foundation. Where is the approval?

But I digress. For purposes of the thread, let’s follow the money. Harvard saw its US government grants (aka PEPFAR) increase by 45% to almost $700mm/yr. Looks like it pays to be friends with the Clintons. Although upon reflection, I think the folks at Harvard have intentionally distanced themselves from the Clintons given that they make no reference to the fact that Harvard was a member of this Clinton HIV/AIDS Consortium in any of their promotional highlights.

Why would Harvard distance themselves? Great question but one doesn’t distance because things were great.  How about #Columbia.  How much “do-re-mi” did they accrue during this time frame? Looks like Columbia’s government grants increased by ~55% to almost $900mm.yr  during this time period.  The Columbia crowd and the Clintons remain close friends as Chelsea is on the faculty of the Mailman School. We call this ‘the gift that keeps on giving’.

In regard to smaller Seattle-based and UoW-affiliated charity known as Health Alliance International they experienced an increase in revenues of approximately 50% after joining the Clinton consortium. A review of email and documents sourced from foreign donors reveal that HAI actually were the ‘boots on the ground’ so to speak for the Clinton Foundation in Mozambique. That info along with the fact that the CF was acting as an agent for Mozambique and for other foreign governments in other locales is where the rubber meets the road. ‘Acting as agent’ is in violation of IRS Code and would subject the CF to the loss of their tax-exempt status. Clear as day: (page 5/36).  Paul Manafort is sitting in jail right now with one of the charges related to acting as a foreign agent. Oh, what happened to the CF’s partners from Health Alliance International in Mozambique? Glad you asked. An internal audit pointed to frauds by subcontractors (aka kickbacks and payoffs).

Who was the individual who orchestrated this Consortium for the Clintons? An individual named Donald Berwick, formerly of the Boston-based Institute for Healthcare Improvement. IHI saw its revenues increase by 50% after joining the Clinton HIV/AIDS Treatment Consortium. Berwick participated on President Clinton’s Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in Healhcare Industry. If Berwick is such a leader in consumer protection and quality in healthcare then where was he when Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals was polluting the developing world w/garbage drugs while being a partner with the Clinton Foundation? Smell a rat yet?

But back to the question as to Berwick and what was he doing during this period? Probably more focused on seeing his compensation go from $382,000 in 2000-2001 before he got in bed with the Clintons (page 11/35) to $2.3mm in 2008. THAT’S RIGHT. $2.3mm, although IHI did implement a deferred comp plan so even still his average comp was near $1mm during this time frame. Nice work if you can get it.

Add it all up and what do we have? Garbage drugs leading to certain increased levels of drug resistance; Ivy-league universities scoring huge US government grants (how did they miss the fact that Ranbaxy was distributing garbage drugs?); fraud within Clinton partners and also we have highlighted previously fraud between the US State Department and the Global Fund; and ‘people getting paid’ under the guise of charity. I guess we should not be surprised at all this malfeasance given that there was no IG at State during HRC’s tenure. All of which begs the following questions among others:

  1. How’s Dr. Birx managing PEPFAR in light of this background?
  2. What is going on at IRS?

#AmericaWorksTogether, #DigitalArmy

You can follow the twitter feed of Clinton Foundation Whistleblowers (Doyle-Moynihan) at @LWDoyleUSA.

The question posed in the headline awaits an answer: “Should America completely trust the COVID-19 medical experts?”

The short answer: No.

From 2005 to 2014, Birx was the Director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Global HIV/AIDS (DGHA). The Ranbaxy Pharmaceutical scam happened during her time there.

What was Ranbaxy about?

It wasn’t about the happy face promoted in an article posted on April 11, 2013, in The Economic Times, entitled “Bill Clinton praises pharma companies Ranbaxy and Cipla for fight against AIDS”.  Here’s the lead paragraph:

“MUMBAI: Former US president Bill Clinton praised Indian generic drug companies such as Ranbaxy (NSE 5.63%) and Cipla (NSE 4.16%) for their stellar contribution in the fight against the HIV/AIDS scourge, saying their cheap drugs saved millions of lives. Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States, said the cheap generics of Cipla and Ranbaxy came in handy when his Clinton Foundation was leading efforts to treat AIDS patients in the Caribbean more than 10 years ago. ‘I told myself that that never again will I come to India without saying a thank you,’ he said to applause from members of a 600-plus audience, including some of India Inc’s leading CEOs, businessmen and strategists.” 

There was much more to the Ranbaxy story than that puff piece in The Economic Times. The behavior of the Clinton Foundation should have rendered it toxic to Birx both during her tenure at CDC and later at PEPFAR. But it didn’t.

Among outlets telling a more compete and accurate story was the Daily Caller in September 2016:

“Former President Bill Clinton and his Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) distributed ‘watered-down’ HIV/AIDS drugs to patients in sub-Saharan Africa, and ‘likely increased’ the risks of morbidity and mortality, according to a draft congressional report obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation. The CHAI program to help AIDS victims is considered one of the Clinton Foundation’s most important contributions and is probably its best known initiative.”

The CF used the Indian drug manufacturer Ranbaxy as a main distributor of HIV/AIDS drugs to Third World nations.

A whistle blower prompted an investigation that led to a lawsuit against Ranbaxy and eventually found Ranbaxy pleading guilty in 2013 to seven criminal counts with intent to defraud, plus charges of introducing adulterated drugs into interstate commerce.

Those charges eventually led to a $500,000,000 fine—as in one-half of a billion USD.

An investigation of the Ranbaxy-CF relationship was conducted by The Office of (then) U.S. Congresswoman (now Senator) Marsha Blackburn (R. 7th Dist., TN) entitled “The Clinton Foundation And The ‘India Success Story’: Self-Serving Philanthropy, Watered Down Drugs, and Money in sub-Saharan Africa”.  Here’s the September 2016 Executive Summary:

“The ‘India success story’ details the Clinton Foundation’s partnership with drug companies Ranbaxy, Matrix and Cipla in the subcontinent beginning in October 23, 2003.  The Foundation joined the drug companies with the goal of combating HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa by getting less expensive medication into afflicted countries.  This relationship saw the companies mature quickly and become acquisition targets for larger global pharmaceutical entitles. It also resulted in encouragement for the disregard of intellectual property standards, the likely use of taxpayer money, through PEPFAR, to distribute watered down drugs that ‘subjected patients to increased morbidity and mortality’, donations to the Foundation, and possible kickbacks in the form of million dollar consulting contracts to President Clinton from the friend of convicted felon and Ranbaxy advocate, Rajat Gupta.”

How could Dr. Birx  not have heard of this episode while she worked at the CDC?

Some enterprising White House reporter should ask her: “Were you aware of the distribution of adulterated garbage drugs by Clinton Foundation partner Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals?” “If not, how could you have missed that scandal during your tenure at CDC between 2005-2014?”

“How could that event not have dissuaded you from dealing with the Clinton Foundation and CHAI going forward? Which you did at PEPFAR.”

When Ranbaxy’s domestic corporate headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey was raided in February 2007, alarm bells would have gone off throughout the FDA, CDC and HHS.  Although the Department of Justice sat on it, the medical community had to have heard the noise.

So what did Dr. Birx do then, and thereafter, both at CDC and PEPFAR?

Answer: She did business with the Clinton Foundation and CHAI.

Question: So why didn’t that disqualify her from heading-up, first, PEPFAR? And now coordinating the White House Coronavirus Task Force?

Got no answer for that.

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