Another look at the Medicare Fair Drug Pricing Act

Contributors

Column by Ken Johnson A recent op-ed in your paper (“Medicare Fair Drug Pricing Act,” Nov. 18 AFP) ignores the fact that America’s seniors are receiving unprecedented access to needed medicines at affordable costs through the Medicare prescription drug program. Medicare Part D has been a proven success for both seniors and taxpayers. Here are…

Earth Talk | A new Ice Age?

Roddy Scheer

Dear EarthTalk: It has been said that global warming will bring a new ice age. Is this true or only fiction? |- Nitisha Jain, Delhi, India While no one can be sure what and how severe the effects of global warming will be, it is entirely possible that one outcome of our profligate use of…

Health Commissioner: Go smoke-free a couple of weeks early

Contributors

Staff Report To mark the upcoming ban on smoking in restaurants, Virginia’s Health Commissioner today called on Virginians to show their support for the new law and local businesses by dining at their favorite smoke-free restaurants. The Commonwealth’s new law to eliminate smoking in Virginiarestaurants and protect restaurant workers and patrons from secondhand smoke takes…

Medicare Fair Drug Pricing Act

Contributors

Column by Dr. Raj K. Gandhi The Medicare Fair Drug Pricing Act (MFDPA) must replace the Medicare Drug Improvement and Modernization Act (MMA) of 2003. Ever since MMA went into effect in 2006 it has cost an additional $40 billion to $75 billion annually and helped the already rich pharmaceutical and insurance industries get even…

Focus | Broad-based, bipartisan support for school choice

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham With AFP Video Majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents support school-choice policies including legislative initiatives that would create tax-credit scholarships and school vouchers, according to a new poll released by a coalition of groups that back school choice. The poll, commissioned by The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice and conducted by…

Webb, Alexander introduce bipartisan clean-energy legislation

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Staff Report Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Jim Webb (D-Va.) today introduced the The Clean Energy Act of 2009, a bipartisan bill to promote further investment and development of the nation’s clean energy technologies, including nuclear power and other resources. The Alexander-Webb bill is designed to invigorate the economy, create jobs, and move the United…

Central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley: The Perfect Place to Be

Contributors

Column by Stan Horst Many of us dream of finding the perfect place to live, Stan Horst found that perfect place when he moved to Central Virginia 20 years ago where he runs Cabin Creekwood, a vacation rental business near Waynesboro with his wife Debbie. Stan say he will never grow tired of the variety…

Around the ACC | Football Coach Press Conference Transcripts

Contributors

Staff Report Dabo Swinney – Clemson Opening Statement: I am really proud of our guys. Defensively we held Florida State to 17 points. It was a great job by our defense with five takeaways. Offensively, I was very pleased with our balance. I think it was 242 pass and 241 rush, so that was good….

Getting personal

David Reynolds

Column by David Reynolds May we get personal? I would like to talk about your body. Why not? Everybody else is doing it. Everybody is talking about your body. And mine. I do not recall giving anyone permission. I know I did not. For I try to keep my clothes on. But it doesn’t matter…

Jim Bishop | On Examining a Grain of Mustard Seed

Jim Bishop

The only thing that’s permanent is change, the saying goes.  I only wish it weren’t so brutally true. I don’t embrace too well most change that comes my way. I like things to purr along on a steady course, with surprises that pop up being of the pleasurable variety. Particularly difficult for me are the…