Ricky's Riffs:

Random Thoughts on Travel, Education, Health, and the World in General


Book Review: “An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business And How You Can Take It Back” by Elisabeth Rosenthal

August 2nd, 2017

The Republican Congress has been doing its best to bring down the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and replace it with the cruel joke that would be known as “Trumpcare.” Despite the fact that only 17% of the public supports the Republican proposals, the GOP is still trying to burn the ACA to the ground.

It is in this environment that Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal’s new book–An American Sickness–has arrived. The timing could not be better!Read the rest of this entry »


Book Review: “Crooked: Outwitting the Back Pain Industry and Getting on the Road to Recovery”

July 12th, 2017

Crooked Book CoverI first heard about Crooked: Outwitting the Back Pain Industry and Getting on the Road to Recovery from a patient of mine who was about to undergo his second spinal surgery.

“Wow, she really trashes chiropractic big time,” he let me know. “And I think the book is getting a lot of notice.”

So first, a disclaimer: I am a chiropractor.

But I am not one to shy away from criticism, so I immediately bought the book and started reading.  Granted, it was hard for me to take in the venomous barrage aimed at my profession. But I plowed forward.Read the rest of this entry »


A Doctor Examines Trumpcare – Ricky’s recent Interview with Michael Finney

July 9th, 2017

Dr. Ricky Fishman talks about the current battle in Congress over Trumpcare, the unpopular bill being pushed by the Republican majority.  He describes the  effects of this bill on millions who may lose their health insurance and discusses where he sees health care going.  He believes that, in the end, we will have a single payer system.  However, the powers aligned against this movement are enormous.  Have a listen!


Public Option: Next Step Toward Universal Health Care

April 29th, 2017

The Republicans have failed to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  They stated this would be their first order of business upon coming into power.  Although they will surely continue their efforts, it is unlikely that they will succeed.

It is now time to move forward with real health care reform.Read the rest of this entry »


How the ACA is “Blowing Up” the Health Care System and Why That is a Good Thing

April 4th, 2017

The American Health Care Act (AHCA) was written, presented, lobbied for and rejected within the first 60 days of Donald Trump’s presidency. For eight years, the Republicans had made “repeal and replace Obamacare” their rallying cry.  Yet even with control of both the executive and legislative branches of the Congress, Republicans were unable to pass what was to be their “signature” piece of legislation. It died a messy death in the House of Representatives.

The rushed and poorly thought out bill was defeated by the Democrats as well as by the Freedom Caucus, the ultra-conservative wing of the Republican Party.

The bill’s defeat was a victory for the Democratic party, but also for America. The Affordable Care Act (ACA)—an important step on the path towards universal health care coverage for all Americans—was, for the time being, preserved.Read the rest of this entry »


Obamacare and the Shifting of the American Mind

March 20th, 2017

The first order of business for Donald Trump and the Republican party was to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly known as Obamacare.

Obamacare was the signature piece of legislation of President Obama’s eight years in office.  In terms of historical significance, it has been compared to Social Security and Medicare. It was a big leap–and a messy one.Read the rest of this entry »


Trump Excitement Disorder (TED)…or Tribal Fever

March 7th, 2017

The shock of Donald Trump’s election has left many people disoriented.  Assumptions about the nature and order of the world have been upended.

Few, but not all, on the left side of the political spectrum believed Trump could be elected.  Yet here we are, six weeks into a Trump presidency.  He has moved with lightning speed, issuing executive orders at a dizzying pace, working diligently to undo the work of President Obama.

I described some of the effects of Trump’s election in my last piece “Trump Induced Stress Disorder: A New Diagnosis for a New Era”.  In that article, I described the physical and emotional effects on the millions of people who were aghast at his electoral victory.

But the Trump supporters are now displaying their own spectrum of signs and symptoms. I label their syndrome “Trump Excitement Disorder,” or TED.Read the rest of this entry »