Our PBM Story Is in Pretty Heady Company
So glad we got our PBM story out when we did. I would hate to look like we’re copying the Gray Lady. In fact, I wish I could say that we nudged them a bit. Alas, this is the first of what looks to be a massive series that pulls the covers back on the PBM industry and I imagine the impact of these stories will be significant. With Congress and the FTC breathing down their necks and more and more coverage leaking out about the greed of these bad actors, hopefully it’s just a matter of time before reform kicks in.
From the article:
“The Times interviewed more than 300 current and former P.B.M. employees, patients, physicians, pharmacists and other industry experts, and reviewed court documents and patient records. The investigation found that the largest P.B.M.s often act in their own financial interests, at the expense of their clients and patients.”
New York Times: The Opaque Industry Secretly Inflating Prices for Prescription Drugs
Hey buddy, can you spare a planet?
Big tech’s data centers were already known to be enormous consumers of energy, propping up coal-fired power plants and other dirty tech. The advent of AI has supercharged data center demand while tech companies are disclosing less and less about their energy use. Bad enough the AI rollout is turning the internet and information into garbage at an alarming rate, it’s consuming our water and electricity in the process. This is a shitty deal.
From the article:
“In addition to power, these facilities suck up substantial amounts of water to cool their servers, and are often located in places where land is cheap — like deserts. Only a few operators report their water usage, even though a fifth of servers draw water ‘from moderately to highly stressed watersheds.’ One paper estimates that globally, the demand for water for data centers could be half that of the United Kingdom within the next several years.”
Jacobin: The Hidden Environmental Impact of AI
With All Eyes on Gaza, the West Bank Is Slowly Disappearing
Smotrich said the not-so-quiet part out loud two weeks ago in a speech to West Bank settlers that was caught on tape and recently exposed. His party’s goal is to fully exercise control over the West Bank to prevent the possibility of a Palestinian State, especially with Gaza in ruins.
From the article:
“More than 500 Palestinians have been killed in attacks in the occupied West Bank. Restrictions on movement have increased as Israel increased both fixed and mobile checkpoints and settlers have started setting up their own random roadblocks. This means Palestinians have a much harder time getting to work or keeping their businesses running. Or seeing family, or going for a picnic. Anything, really. Add to that the increased leniency Smotrich’s Administration is likely to show illegal settlement expansion and the crackdown on any Palestinian construction, the outlook is bleak.”
Al Jazeera: Smotrich dreams of Israel annexing the West Bank, is he doing it?
