Healthcare

[cradleandshoot]

Medicare politics are on a crash course with reality

Caitlin Owens
There's an inconvenient truth underneath the politics of Medicare — its finances are simply unsustainable.

Why it matters: Medicare is one of the largest line items in the U.S. budget, and as the population ages, it's expected to only get more expensive.

By the numbers: Medicare spending is expected to more than double by 2033 — climbing to $1.6 trillion, or over 4% of the entire U.S. economy, according to an estimate released yesterday by the Congressional Budget Office.

And the program's trustees have said the fund that pays for Medicare's hospital coverage will soon reach a dangerous tipping point — paying out more than it takes in. On that trajectory, it eventually wouldn't be able to pay for the coverage it's supposed to provide.
Reality check: Lawmakers really only have three options to stop that from happening: raise taxes, cut benefits, or cut payments to the health care industry.

Republicans are against tax increases on principle, and have gotten a lot of political mileage out of attacking them.
Democrats are against benefit cuts on principle, and have gotten a lot of political mileage out of attacking them.
And although some Republicans are hinting that they might be open to reducing payments to doctors, hospitals, insurers or pharma companies, the party's campaign apparatus is currently hammering the Biden administration for proposals to do exactly that.
The bottom line: Without intervention, Medicare's financial problems will come to a head soon enough. And then it'll be everyone's problem.

Is that not the reason those of us new to medicare are purchasing supplemental C and D policies to make up for what A and B shortfalls don't cover? Nobody in Washington saw this problem happening 20 years ago? If you worked for 45 years like myself those medicare premiums came out of your check every week. When you find out you have to supplement Medicare so you have vision, dental and prescription coverage you can complain about it but it doesn't change the bottom line. If you want more comprehensive coverage you will pay for it yourself. That is reality.

[Farfromgeneva]

Medicare politics are on a crash course with reality

Caitlin Owens
There's an inconvenient truth underneath the politics of Medicare — its finances are simply unsustainable.

Why it matters: Medicare is one of the largest line items in the U.S. budget, and as the population ages, it's expected to only get more expensive.

By the numbers: Medicare spending is expected to more than double by 2033 — climbing to $1.6 trillion, or over 4% of the entire U.S. economy, according to an estimate released yesterday by the Congressional Budget Office.

And the program's trustees have said the fund that pays for Medicare's hospital coverage will soon reach a dangerous tipping point — paying out more than it takes in. On that trajectory, it eventually wouldn't be able to pay for the coverage it's supposed to provide.
Reality check: Lawmakers really only have three options to stop that from happening: raise taxes, cut benefits, or cut payments to the health care industry.

Republicans are against tax increases on principle, and have gotten a lot of political mileage out of attacking them.
Democrats are against benefit cuts on principle, and have gotten a lot of political mileage out of attacking them.
And although some Republicans are hinting that they might be open to reducing payments to doctors, hospitals, insurers or pharma companies, the party's campaign apparatus is currently hammering the Biden administration for proposals to do exactly that.
The bottom line: Without intervention, Medicare's financial problems will come to a head soon enough. And then it'll be everyone's problem.

Is that not the reason those of us new to medicare are purchasing supplemental C and D policies to make up for what A and B shortfalls don't cover? Nobody in Washington saw this problem happening 20 years ago? If you worked for 45 years like myself those medicare premiums came out of your check every week. When you find out you have to supplement Medicare so you have vision, dental and prescription coverage you can complain about it but it doesn't change the bottom line. If you want more comprehensive coverage you will pay for it yourself. That is reality.

Can always count on you up before 6!

My parents are dead and worked for NYS and I'm far away from worrying about it personally, so I don't know much about it. I've generally viewed supplemental insurance policies as a waste of money as they tend to carve out a lot (as bad as commercial title insurance). I think you know the answer to your forecasting question if not rhetorical that politicans are as short termist as we are individually if not worse.

Pulled a neat report, I'd stick with ones that have at least a 1.5% market share and at or above average payout ratio to premiums earned. Pg 13 since this list doesn't format well apparently

https://content.naic.org/sites/default/ ... report.pdf

INDIVIDUAL POLICIES ISSUED THROUGH
Market
Direct Claims
Incurred
Loss Incurred to
Premiums Earned Number of
Lives Covered
Direct Premiums
Earned
Company Name
State
Dom
Cocode Group
Code
of Share
% %
August 11, 2022 2021
2018
UnitedHealthcare Ins Co CT 79413 707 2,879,431,744 2, 15.081 76.5 202,562,742 982,342
Health Care Serv Corp A Mut Legal Re IL 70670 917 1,382,765,179 7.242 1,000,290,422 72.3 459,500
United Of Omaha Life Ins Co NE 69868 261 749,557,444 3.926 509,707,585 68.0 201,923
Omaha Ins Co NE 13100 261 616,850,516 3.231 489,077,742 79.3 246,128
Mutual Of Omaha Ins Co NE 71412 261 581,835,997 3.047 431,845,679 74.2 185,524
United World Life Ins Co NE 72850 261 401,510,762 2.103 309,722,325 77.1 146,358
BCBS of MA MA 53228 3637 393,950,705 2.063 351,420,966 89.2 153,757
BCBS Of FL FL 98167 536 387,310,711 2.029 311,505,649 80.4 143,076
Continental Life Ins Co Brentwood TN 68500 1 383,853,815 2.010 312,333,202 81.4 133,879
Colonial Penn Life Ins Co PA 62065 233 380,302,880 1.992 272,863,249 71.7 130,494
Wellmark Inc IA 88848 770 379,033,885 1.985 312,654,202 82.5 130,305
Humana Ins Co WI 73288 119 363,019,386 1.901 265,566,717 73.2 132,467
American Continental Ins Co TN 12321 1 355,558,205 1.862 266,252,518 74.9 112,323
American Retirement Life Ins Co OH 88366 901 350,784,417 1.837 270,259,544 77.0 126,616
BCBS of MI Mut Ins Co MI 54291 572 335,395,631 1.757 261,830,587 78.1 96,634
Aetna Hlth & Life Ins Co CT 78700 1 324,969,828 1.702 265,870,344 81.8 132,149
USAA Life Ins Co TX 69663 200 320,173,826 1.677 241,791,409 75.5 111,271
BCBS of NC Inc NC 54631 758 320,071,601 1.676 223,360,372 69.8 114,146
Cigna Hlth & Life Ins Co CT 67369 901 303,788,951 1.591 267,778,687 88.1 137,819
Anthem Hlth Plans of VA Inc VA 71835 671 286,886,078 1.503 190,847,903 66.5 102,778

[cradleandshoot]

Medicare politics are on a crash course with reality

Caitlin Owens
There's an inconvenient truth underneath the politics of Medicare — its finances are simply unsustainable.

Why it matters: Medicare is one of the largest line items in the U.S. budget, and as the population ages, it's expected to only get more expensive.

By the numbers: Medicare spending is expected to more than double by 2033 — climbing to $1.6 trillion, or over 4% of the entire U.S. economy, according to an estimate released yesterday by the Congressional Budget Office.

And the program's trustees have said the fund that pays for Medicare's hospital coverage will soon reach a dangerous tipping point — paying out more than it takes in. On that trajectory, it eventually wouldn't be able to pay for the coverage it's supposed to provide.
Reality check: Lawmakers really only have three options to stop that from happening: raise taxes, cut benefits, or cut payments to the health care industry.

Republicans are against tax increases on principle, and have gotten a lot of political mileage out of attacking them.
Democrats are against benefit cuts on principle, and have gotten a lot of political mileage out of attacking them.
And although some Republicans are hinting that they might be open to reducing payments to doctors, hospitals, insurers or pharma companies, the party's campaign apparatus is currently hammering the Biden administration for proposals to do exactly that.
The bottom line: Without intervention, Medicare's financial problems will come to a head soon enough. And then it'll be everyone's problem.

Is that not the reason those of us new to medicare are purchasing supplemental C and D policies to make up for what A and B shortfalls don't cover? Nobody in Washington saw this problem happening 20 years ago? If you worked for 45 years like myself those medicare premiums came out of your check every week. When you find out you have to supplement Medicare so you have vision, dental and prescription coverage you can complain about it but it doesn't change the bottom line. If you want more comprehensive coverage you will pay for it yourself. That is reality.

Can always count on you up before 6!

My parents are dead and worked for NYS and I'm far away from worrying about it personally, so I don't know much about it. I've generally viewed supplemental insurance policies as a waste of money as they tend to carve out a lot (as bad as commercial title insurance). I think you know the answer to your forecasting question if not rhetorical that politicans are as short termist as we are individually if not worse.

Pulled a neat report, I'd stick with ones that have at least a 1.5% market share and at or above average payout ratio to premiums earned. Pg 13 since this list doesn't format well apparently

https://content.naic.org/sites/default/ ... report.pdf

INDIVIDUAL POLICIES ISSUED THROUGH
Market
Direct Claims
Incurred
Loss Incurred to
Premiums Earned Number of
Lives Covered
Direct Premiums
Earned
Company Name
State
Dom
Cocode Group
Code
of Share
% %
August 11, 2022 2021
2018
UnitedHealthcare Ins Co CT 79413 707 2,879,431,744 2, 15.081 76.5 202,562,742 982,342
Health Care Serv Corp A Mut Legal Re IL 70670 917 1,382,765,179 7.242 1,000,290,422 72.3 459,500
United Of Omaha Life Ins Co NE 69868 261 749,557,444 3.926 509,707,585 68.0 201,923
Omaha Ins Co NE 13100 261 616,850,516 3.231 489,077,742 79.3 246,128
Mutual Of Omaha Ins Co NE 71412 261 581,835,997 3.047 431,845,679 74.2 185,524
United World Life Ins Co NE 72850 261 401,510,762 2.103 309,722,325 77.1 146,358
BCBS of MA MA 53228 3637 393,950,705 2.063 351,420,966 89.2 153,757
BCBS Of FL FL 98167 536 387,310,711 2.029 311,505,649 80.4 143,076
Continental Life Ins Co Brentwood TN 68500 1 383,853,815 2.010 312,333,202 81.4 133,879
Colonial Penn Life Ins Co PA 62065 233 380,302,880 1.992 272,863,249 71.7 130,494
Wellmark Inc IA 88848 770 379,033,885 1.985 312,654,202 82.5 130,305
Humana Ins Co WI 73288 119 363,019,386 1.901 265,566,717 73.2 132,467
American Continental Ins Co TN 12321 1 355,558,205 1.862 266,252,518 74.9 112,323
American Retirement Life Ins Co OH 88366 901 350,784,417 1.837 270,259,544 77.0 126,616
BCBS of MI Mut Ins Co MI 54291 572 335,395,631 1.757 261,830,587 78.1 96,634
Aetna Hlth & Life Ins Co CT 78700 1 324,969,828 1.702 265,870,344 81.8 132,149
USAA Life Ins Co TX 69663 200 320,173,826 1.677 241,791,409 75.5 111,271
BCBS of NC Inc NC 54631 758 320,071,601 1.676 223,360,372 69.8 114,146
Cigna Hlth & Life Ins Co CT 67369 901 303,788,951 1.591 267,778,687 88.1 137,819
Anthem Hlth Plans of VA Inc VA 71835 671 286,886,078 1.503 190,847,903 66.5 102,778

TY, I'm almost always up before 5. I have a dog that has needs.

[Farfromgeneva]

Medicare politics are on a crash course with reality

Caitlin Owens
There's an inconvenient truth underneath the politics of Medicare — its finances are simply unsustainable.

Why it matters: Medicare is one of the largest line items in the U.S. budget, and as the population ages, it's expected to only get more expensive.

By the numbers: Medicare spending is expected to more than double by 2033 — climbing to $1.6 trillion, or over 4% of the entire U.S. economy, according to an estimate released yesterday by the Congressional Budget Office.

And the program's trustees have said the fund that pays for Medicare's hospital coverage will soon reach a dangerous tipping point — paying out more than it takes in. On that trajectory, it eventually wouldn't be able to pay for the coverage it's supposed to provide.
Reality check: Lawmakers really only have three options to stop that from happening: raise taxes, cut benefits, or cut payments to the health care industry.

Republicans are against tax increases on principle, and have gotten a lot of political mileage out of attacking them.
Democrats are against benefit cuts on principle, and have gotten a lot of political mileage out of attacking them.
And although some Republicans are hinting that they might be open to reducing payments to doctors, hospitals, insurers or pharma companies, the party's campaign apparatus is currently hammering the Biden administration for proposals to do exactly that.
The bottom line: Without intervention, Medicare's financial problems will come to a head soon enough. And then it'll be everyone's problem.

Is that not the reason those of us new to medicare are purchasing supplemental C and D policies to make up for what A and B shortfalls don't cover? Nobody in Washington saw this problem happening 20 years ago? If you worked for 45 years like myself those medicare premiums came out of your check every week. When you find out you have to supplement Medicare so you have vision, dental and prescription coverage you can complain about it but it doesn't change the bottom line. If you want more comprehensive coverage you will pay for it yourself. That is reality.

Can always count on you up before 6!

My parents are dead and worked for NYS and I'm far away from worrying about it personally, so I don't know much about it. I've generally viewed supplemental insurance policies as a waste of money as they tend to carve out a lot (as bad as commercial title insurance). I think you know the answer to your forecasting question if not rhetorical that politicans are as short termist as we are individually if not worse.

Pulled a neat report, I'd stick with ones that have at least a 1.5% market share and at or above average payout ratio to premiums earned. Pg 13 since this list doesn't format well apparently

https://content.naic.org/sites/default/ ... report.pdf

INDIVIDUAL POLICIES ISSUED THROUGH
Market
Direct Claims
Incurred
Loss Incurred to
Premiums Earned Number of
Lives Covered
Direct Premiums
Earned
Company Name
State
Dom
Cocode Group
Code
of Share
% %
August 11, 2022 2021
2018
UnitedHealthcare Ins Co CT 79413 707 2,879,431,744 2, 15.081 76.5 202,562,742 982,342
Health Care Serv Corp A Mut Legal Re IL 70670 917 1,382,765,179 7.242 1,000,290,422 72.3 459,500
United Of Omaha Life Ins Co NE 69868 261 749,557,444 3.926 509,707,585 68.0 201,923
Omaha Ins Co NE 13100 261 616,850,516 3.231 489,077,742 79.3 246,128
Mutual Of Omaha Ins Co NE 71412 261 581,835,997 3.047 431,845,679 74.2 185,524
United World Life Ins Co NE 72850 261 401,510,762 2.103 309,722,325 77.1 146,358
BCBS of MA MA 53228 3637 393,950,705 2.063 351,420,966 89.2 153,757
BCBS Of FL FL 98167 536 387,310,711 2.029 311,505,649 80.4 143,076
Continental Life Ins Co Brentwood TN 68500 1 383,853,815 2.010 312,333,202 81.4 133,879
Colonial Penn Life Ins Co PA 62065 233 380,302,880 1.992 272,863,249 71.7 130,494
Wellmark Inc IA 88848 770 379,033,885 1.985 312,654,202 82.5 130,305
Humana Ins Co WI 73288 119 363,019,386 1.901 265,566,717 73.2 132,467
American Continental Ins Co TN 12321 1 355,558,205 1.862 266,252,518 74.9 112,323
American Retirement Life Ins Co OH 88366 901 350,784,417 1.837 270,259,544 77.0 126,616
BCBS of MI Mut Ins Co MI 54291 572 335,395,631 1.757 261,830,587 78.1 96,634
Aetna Hlth & Life Ins Co CT 78700 1 324,969,828 1.702 265,870,344 81.8 132,149
USAA Life Ins Co TX 69663 200 320,173,826 1.677 241,791,409 75.5 111,271
BCBS of NC Inc NC 54631 758 320,071,601 1.676 223,360,372 69.8 114,146
Cigna Hlth & Life Ins Co CT 67369 901 303,788,951 1.591 267,778,687 88.1 137,819
Anthem Hlth Plans of VA Inc VA 71835 671 286,886,078 1.503 190,847,903 66.5 102,778

TY, I'm almost always up before 5. I have a dog that has needs.

Mine is ALM so blind and deaf and just craps on our persian rugs my wife wasted half out going in budget when buying this house on…

[cradleandshoot]

Medicare politics are on a crash course with reality

Caitlin Owens
There's an inconvenient truth underneath the politics of Medicare — its finances are simply unsustainable.

Why it matters: Medicare is one of the largest line items in the U.S. budget, and as the population ages, it's expected to only get more expensive.

By the numbers: Medicare spending is expected to more than double by 2033 — climbing to $1.6 trillion, or over 4% of the entire U.S. economy, according to an estimate released yesterday by the Congressional Budget Office.

And the program's trustees have said the fund that pays for Medicare's hospital coverage will soon reach a dangerous tipping point — paying out more than it takes in. On that trajectory, it eventually wouldn't be able to pay for the coverage it's supposed to provide.
Reality check: Lawmakers really only have three options to stop that from happening: raise taxes, cut benefits, or cut payments to the health care industry.

Republicans are against tax increases on principle, and have gotten a lot of political mileage out of attacking them.
Democrats are against benefit cuts on principle, and have gotten a lot of political mileage out of attacking them.
And although some Republicans are hinting that they might be open to reducing payments to doctors, hospitals, insurers or pharma companies, the party's campaign apparatus is currently hammering the Biden administration for proposals to do exactly that.
The bottom line: Without intervention, Medicare's financial problems will come to a head soon enough. And then it'll be everyone's problem.

Is that not the reason those of us new to medicare are purchasing supplemental C and D policies to make up for what A and B shortfalls don't cover? Nobody in Washington saw this problem happening 20 years ago? If you worked for 45 years like myself those medicare premiums came out of your check every week. When you find out you have to supplement Medicare so you have vision, dental and prescription coverage you can complain about it but it doesn't change the bottom line. If you want more comprehensive coverage you will pay for it yourself. That is reality.

Can always count on you up before 6!

My parents are dead and worked for NYS and I'm far away from worrying about it personally, so I don't know much about it. I've generally viewed supplemental insurance policies as a waste of money as they tend to carve out a lot (as bad as commercial title insurance). I think you know the answer to your forecasting question if not rhetorical that politicans are as short termist as we are individually if not worse.

Pulled a neat report, I'd stick with ones that have at least a 1.5% market share and at or above average payout ratio to premiums earned. Pg 13 since this list doesn't format well apparently

https://content.naic.org/sites/default/ ... report.pdf

INDIVIDUAL POLICIES ISSUED THROUGH
Market
Direct Claims
Incurred
Loss Incurred to
Premiums Earned Number of
Lives Covered
Direct Premiums
Earned
Company Name
State
Dom
Cocode Group
Code
of Share
% %
August 11, 2022 2021
2018
UnitedHealthcare Ins Co CT 79413 707 2,879,431,744 2, 15.081 76.5 202,562,742 982,342
Health Care Serv Corp A Mut Legal Re IL 70670 917 1,382,765,179 7.242 1,000,290,422 72.3 459,500
United Of Omaha Life Ins Co NE 69868 261 749,557,444 3.926 509,707,585 68.0 201,923
Omaha Ins Co NE 13100 261 616,850,516 3.231 489,077,742 79.3 246,128
Mutual Of Omaha Ins Co NE 71412 261 581,835,997 3.047 431,845,679 74.2 185,524
United World Life Ins Co NE 72850 261 401,510,762 2.103 309,722,325 77.1 146,358
BCBS of MA MA 53228 3637 393,950,705 2.063 351,420,966 89.2 153,757
BCBS Of FL FL 98167 536 387,310,711 2.029 311,505,649 80.4 143,076
Continental Life Ins Co Brentwood TN 68500 1 383,853,815 2.010 312,333,202 81.4 133,879
Colonial Penn Life Ins Co PA 62065 233 380,302,880 1.992 272,863,249 71.7 130,494
Wellmark Inc IA 88848 770 379,033,885 1.985 312,654,202 82.5 130,305
Humana Ins Co WI 73288 119 363,019,386 1.901 265,566,717 73.2 132,467
American Continental Ins Co TN 12321 1 355,558,205 1.862 266,252,518 74.9 112,323
American Retirement Life Ins Co OH 88366 901 350,784,417 1.837 270,259,544 77.0 126,616
BCBS of MI Mut Ins Co MI 54291 572 335,395,631 1.757 261,830,587 78.1 96,634
Aetna Hlth & Life Ins Co CT 78700 1 324,969,828 1.702 265,870,344 81.8 132,149
USAA Life Ins Co TX 69663 200 320,173,826 1.677 241,791,409 75.5 111,271
BCBS of NC Inc NC 54631 758 320,071,601 1.676 223,360,372 69.8 114,146
Cigna Hlth & Life Ins Co CT 67369 901 303,788,951 1.591 267,778,687 88.1 137,819
Anthem Hlth Plans of VA Inc VA 71835 671 286,886,078 1.503 190,847,903 66.5 102,778

TY, I'm almost always up before 5. I have a dog that has needs.

Mine is ALM so blind and deaf and just craps on our persian rugs my wife wasted half out going in budget when buying this house on…

I guess I'm lucky. We pulled up all the vinyl tiles and carpeting and we are 80% hardwood and 20% Pergo flooring.

[Farfromgeneva]

Either old news since VC has pushed > $100Bn into this area already and about time.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/wall-stree ... af?mod=mhp

Wall Street Backs New Class of Psychedelic Drugs - WSJ

Matt WirzFeb. 23, 2023 5:30 am ET
Transcend Therapeutics Inc. raised $40 million from venture-capital investors in January to develop a post-traumatic stress disorder treatment that its 29-year-old CEO Blake Mandell says would require about half the amount of therapy as MDMA, or ecstasy, a popular hallucinogen. Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Lusaris Therapeutics Inc. have announced capital raises of about $100 million since November for similar products addressing depression.

The companies’ fundraising—and their focus on more cost-effective psychedelic therapy—coincides with a sharp selloff in biotech stocks last year that blunted some of the enthusiasm surrounding the commercial potential of hallucinogens.

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All three companies say their drugs will kick in faster and wear off faster than MDMA and psilocybin, the psychoactive component of magic mushrooms. That could lift one of the biggest roadblocks to delivering psychedelic treatment to a mass market.


In 2020, Kevin Ryan, right, tapped Blake Mandell to look into launching a psychedelic-medicine startup.Photo: Marissa Alper for The Wall Street Journal
The FDA is expected to approve treatments using MDMA and psilocybin in the next few years, but rolling them out could be expensive because they must be administered by trained therapists, pharmaceutical executives say. MDMA and psilocybin can induce psychedelic trips lasting six to eight hours, and treatments typically involve additional therapy before and after.

“There’s a role for traditional medicine for people who want to do six- to eight-hour trips, but you have to face the reality of the medical system as it is today,” said Amy Kruse, a neuroscientist and partner at venture-capital investment firm Prime Movers Lab, which led a $39 million funding for Gilgamesh in December.

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The U.S. is struggling with a scarcity of mental-health workers. About 158 million Americans live in areas affected by such shortages, up from 95 million a decade ago, according to data from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration.

Some pharmaceutical companies are pushing to develop psychedelic compounds that don’t cause hallucinations or euphoric experiences at all, allowing for shorter and cheaper treatments. Transcend says its drug induces euphoria but not hallucinations.

Critics of the new ventures say they are trying to create patentable drugs that will be far more costly to purchase than traditional psychedelics without commensurate improvement in outcomes. Psilocybin isn’t patentable because it occurs naturally, while synthetic drugs LSD and MDMA are decades old. Global revenue from psychedelics could reach $8 billion by 2027, L.E.K. Consulting estimated.

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Transcend is conducting clinical trials for Methylone, a drug that will appeal to many PTSD patients precisely because it is less intoxicating than MDMA, said Ben Kelmendi, the firm’s co-founder and chief scientific adviser. He became interested in the chemical at his other job, running psychedelic research at Yale University.


Ben Kelmendi, Transcend Therapeutics co-founder and chief scientific adviserPhoto: Transcend Therapeutics
An ethnic Albanian from Kosovo, Mr. Kelmendi fled the war there as a high-school student in 1996 and eventually became a psychiatrist studying obsessive-compulsive disorder and PTSD. Psilocybin and MDMA did wonders for otherwise treatment-resistant patients, but “it became clear that even in a best-case scenario, the drugs would have limitations,” he said.

Patients already using a popular class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, can’t take MDMA. Other candidates backed out of psychedelic studies because they feared being retraumatized or having their personalities altered, Mr. Kelmendi said.

He was approached in 2019 by Kevin Ryan, a former Yale trustee who had founded online companies such as Gilt Groupe Inc. and who wanted advice about philanthropy for psychedelic mental health.

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In 2020 Mr. Ryan tapped Mr. Mandell, then an associate at his investment firm, to look into launching a psychedelic-medicine startup. Mr. Mandell had studied mathematics and neuroscience at Brown University. He had also struggled with depression as a teenager and had lost several close friends to suicide by his early 20s.

Messrs. Kelmendi, Mandell and Ryan launched Transcend in 2021 to conduct clinical trials of an empathogen similar to MDMA called Methylone, which the U.S. outlawed in 2013. Results of tests conducted on rats were promising enough for Mr. Mandell to attract outside capital this year. Transcend will use the money to start tests on sick humans, an early step in the arduous Food and Drug Administration approval process.

“Methylone, which doesn’t have any hallucinogenic effects, is far milder than MDMA, and is a better fit for the existing medical infrastructure,” said Rick Gerson, chief investment officer of Alpha Wave Global, a venture-capital firm that participated in Transcend’s recent funding.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS

Would you be willing to invest in psychedelic drugs that could treat mental illness? If so, where do you see the most promise? Join the conversation below.

Others are also jostling to raise cash.

London-based Small Pharma announced in January a successful Phase 2a trial treating depression with Dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, a fast-acting drug related to the indigenous psychedelic ayahuasca. The company raised $52 million with a Canadian stock offering in 2021 but only has about $17 million left.

The biotech selloff has made fundraising more difficult, but Small Pharma is considering another share sale to fund a larger trial this year. “The U.S. capital markets are larger in order of magnitude compared to Canada and they have a depth of expertise,” said Chief Executive George Tziras.

Lower valuations have made investing more attractive, said Ms. Kruse. “Some air has come out of the balloon and…things have come down to reality.”

—Daniela Hernandez and Brianna Abbott contributed to this article.

Write to Matt Wirz at [email protected]

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[cradleandshoot]

My wife had an interesting conversation with her orthopedic surgeon yesterday. She is rapidly heading towards another knee replacement. One of the treatments her orthopod recommended was an injection of synvisc to ease her pain until the arthritis in her knee progressed. The last time for her other knee the shot was covered by our health care. Her orthopod told her the injection, must to her frustration, is no longer covered by most health care plans. The tab is 800 dollars out of pocket for temporary pain relief so she can continue to work. The money is not an issue with us. We pay a tidy sum of money every month for health care insurance. What is the point for paying all of these premiums when they cover very little. My wife's orthopod wants an MRI on her knee to confirm her diagnosis. Gotta wait for authorization from the carrier until the MRI can be scheduled. That could take a few days or a few weeks. I'm covered under my wifes policy until I turn 65 in July. My wife pays almost 700 dollars a month for a high deductible plan that covers practically nothing. Two years ago it was not that way. I'm not a fan of universal health care but even an old codger like me is starting to believe even the government might be able to do a better job.

[youthathletics]

Wasn’t sure where else to post this.

Not sure what to make of this, but it is a bit concerning. https://www.businessinsider.com/countri ... ers-2016-2

https://twitter.com/therabbithole84/sta ... a82I2GssRg

[PizzaSnake]

Wasn’t sure where else to post this.

Not sure what to make of this, but it is a bit concerning. https://www.businessinsider.com/countri ... ers-2016-2

https://twitter.com/therabbithole84/sta ... a82I2GssRg

Rats in the cage don't like being there. Or frogs in the kettle, if you prefer.

What do you ascribe it to? "Wokeness"?

[Typical Lax Dad]

Wasn’t sure where else to post this.

Not sure what to make of this, but it is a bit concerning. https://www.businessinsider.com/countri ... ers-2016-2

https://twitter.com/therabbithole84/sta ... a82I2GssRg

Rats in the cage don't like being there. Or frogs in the kettle, if you prefer.

What do you ascribe it to? "Wokeness"?

A different opiate.

[Farfromgeneva]

Wasn’t sure where else to post this.

Not sure what to make of this, but it is a bit concerning. https://www.businessinsider.com/countri ... ers-2016-2

https://twitter.com/therabbithole84/sta ... a82I2GssRg

Rats in the cage don't like being there. Or frogs in the kettle, if you prefer.

What do you ascribe it to? "Wokeness"?

A different opiate.

“Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage”

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8-r-V0uK4u0

Paradigm change and heterodox thinking is rare and misunderstood when playing the game

[youthathletics]

Wasn’t sure where else to post this.

Not sure what to make of this, but it is a bit concerning. https://www.businessinsider.com/countri ... ers-2016-2

https://twitter.com/therabbithole84/sta ... a82I2GssRg

Rats in the cage don't like being there. Or frogs in the kettle, if you prefer.

What do you ascribe it to? "Wokeness"?

A different opiate.

But why?
For the sake of discussion, I'd argue it is a combination of....
~ dietary and hydration issues
~ decline in physical exercise
~ lack of vitamin D (being outdoors)
~ isolation due to cell/internet social media (getting dopamine rush from a screen)
~ attachment to things & causes, rather than people
~ 2 parent breakdown
~ latch key child rearing.

[Typical Lax Dad]

Wasn’t sure where else to post this.

Not sure what to make of this, but it is a bit concerning. https://www.businessinsider.com/countri ... ers-2016-2

https://twitter.com/therabbithole84/sta ... a82I2GssRg

Rats in the cage don't like being there. Or frogs in the kettle, if you prefer.

What do you ascribe it to? "Wokeness"?

A different opiate.

But why?
For the sake of discussion, I'd argue it is a combination of....
~ dietary and hydration issues
~ decline in physical exercise
~ lack of vitamin D (being outdoors)
~ isolation due to cell/internet social media (getting dopamine rush from a screen)
~ attachment to things & causes, rather than people
~ 2 parent breakdown
~ latch key child rearing.

You should write a paper…. How did the field study in Iceland and Australia go? Good visit?

[Typical Lax Dad]

https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/2015/2 ... might-be-a

Learned something today and it’s just past noon.

[Brooklyn]

"Free" market wizardry sure does a great job of curing cancer:



http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VoTMOdI9adk/T ... +tumor.gif



It's time to stop with the "free" market idiotology and come up with a universal health care package for all.

[Farfromgeneva]

I’m persuaded by a cartoon!

The only cartoon that helps me thing about the world and behavior in it is South Park.

[youthathletics]

"Free" market wizardry sure does a great job of curing cancer:



http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VoTMOdI9adk/T ... +tumor.gif



It's time to stop with the "free" market idiotology and come up with a universal health care package for all.

The problem with that cartoon is that it represents what socialized medicine already looks like in the USA....its called the VA.

Oops, we already of what so many are pandering for, and its evident it does not work any better, may been worse than what we already have.

[Brooklyn]

"Free" market wizardry sure does a great job of curing cancer:


http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VoTMOdI9adk/T ... +tumor.gif



It's time to stop with the "free" market idiotology and come up with a universal health care package for all.

The problem with that cartoon is that it represents what socialized medicine already looks like in the USA....its called the VA.

Oops, we already of what so many are pandering for, and its evident it does not work any better, may been worse than what we already have.

We don't have socialized medicine in the USA. We have capitalist medicine while taxpayers finance socialized medicine overseas as poor Americans die from lack of health care.

[youthathletics]

"Free" market wizardry sure does a great job of curing cancer:


http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VoTMOdI9adk/T ... +tumor.gif



It's time to stop with the "free" market idiotology and come up with a universal health care package for all.

The problem with that cartoon is that it represents what socialized medicine already looks like in the USA....its called the VA.

Oops, we already of what so many are pandering for, and its evident it does not work any better, may been worse than what we already have.

We don't have socialized medicine in the USA. We have capitalist medicine while taxpayers finance socialized medicine overseas as poor Americans die from lack of health care.

So what type of health care do we have at the VA?

[Brooklyn]

So what type of health care do we have at the VA?

The military is socialist? Oops, careful now or the right wingers will get mad at you.