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Medicare for all? Here’s the missing truth

Columns

Ever since I was in Congress there was a group of people that wanted some form of universal healthcare. It would include one healthcare provider through the federal government, which they frequently refer to as “Medicare for all.” However, there is a huge difference between Medicare which is for the elderly and disabled in contrast to Medicaid which is for the indigent and their children. Working Americans contribute by paying into Medicare, while Medicaid is paid by the federal government. Essentially healthcare for Medicaid individuals is free. You simply cannot combine the two ...

Dear Annie: Tired of watching her choose heartbreak

Columns

Dear Annie: My granddaughter has a boyfriend who keeps cheating on her — three times now, and those are only the times I know about. Each time, she takes him back, swearing he’s changed. I’m old enough to know how that story ends. She’s smart and kind, and I hate watching her with someone who doesn’t treat her the way she deserves. I’ve bitten my tongue up until now — it’s her life, after all, and she’s entitled to her own decisions — but I don’t have the heart to sit quietly through this when it inevitably happens again. How do I get her to see what I see before ...

News flash: We live in a mixed economy

Columns

Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan keeps calling himself a capitalist. And the Democratic Socialists of America keep backing him to the eyeballs. Why? Because the DSA understands that El-Sayed has to say that to win over even Democrats in a moderate state like Michigan. They firmly expect that once elected, he would do as they say, which happily conforms with what he truly believes. Confusing? Yes, on purpose. But let’s move beyond this war of labels. Let’s stop using socialist and capitalist as either compliments or denunciations. The United States has a ...

Homebuyers deserve the facts about crime and schools

Columns

Nothing is more natural when buying a house than looking into how safe the neighborhood is, and, if you have or plan to have children, whether the schools are any good. Yet the last Democratic presidential administration tried to prevent real estate agents from answering those kinds of questions because it prioritized “diversity” over safety and education. The Trump administration revoked the de facto gag rule this year, but the damage the Biden administration inflicted is still being felt. What’s worse, state regulations in New York and elsewhere still prevent real estate ...

Medical therapy is called for with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a physically active 75-year-old man. I’m taking atorvastatin, losartan and amlodipine. During my annual physical in January 2025, my physician noticed a heart murmur. I had an echocardiogram done in February 2025 that showed a dilated proximal ascending aorta, measuring at 4.1 centimeters. It was 3.9 centimeters in January 2024. In February 2026, I had a repeat echocardigoram to check my ascending aorta, and it stabilized at 4.1 cm. However, it showed that there’s a mid-cavitary gradient of 44 mmHg at rest that increased to 99 mmHg with a Valsalva maneuver. ...

Intense heaviness in chest snowballs into traumatic experience

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: I had a very unpleasant experience a few days ago, and I’d like your opinion. I am 90 years old and was awakened early in the morning with an extreme heaviness in my chest. I have a concierge physician, and they told me that if I was able to drive, I should come right over to the office, where I had my blood pressure taken, as well as an electrocardiogram (EKG) and blood work done. I did this, and I was then told to go home and wait to find out if I’d had a heart attack (as markers in the blood would confirm). As I was leaving the office, the doctor gave me a ...