A few important stories from the week’s news–just in case you missed them.
The Russians are coming after your prescriptions—and your vote.
UnitedHealth owns Change Health. Change Health and CoverMyMeds route most insurance claims from most pharmacies. So when Russian-speaking ransomware ring known as Black Cat or AlphV hacked Change Health (and other medical facilities) on February 21, pharmacies and patients across the country saw snarls, delays, and denials of coverage. UnitedHealth “estimated that more than 90 percent of the nation’s 70,000-plus pharmacies have had to alter how they process electronic claims” because of the hack.
While UnitedHealth tried to downplay the impact on patients, people around the country told stories of being denied coverage and required to pay full price for their prescriptions.
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Just a year ago, 
I grew up on a family farm of the kind that now exists mostly in myth and memory. In the early 1950s, we had dairy cows, placid Holstein giants who filed quietly into the barn each morning and night and lined up ready for milking at one end and eating at the other. Then came the Clean Milkhouse Act and the end of dairy on our farm. Sanitation is a good thing, no doubt about it, but my father couldn’t borrow the money needed to upgrade the milking facilities, so he switched over to beef.
What’s wrong with GMOs (genetically modified organisms) in food production? While many GMO critics say they pose health hazards, I find that argument unconvincing. Instead, I am concerned about:
Mary Turck