Enlarge / Packaging for Wegovy, manufactured by Novo Nordisk, is seen in this illustration photo. (credit: Getty | Jakub Porzycki)

With the debut of remarkably effective weight-loss drugs, America's high obesity rate and its uniquely astronomical prescription drug pricing appear to be set on a catastrophic collision course—one that threatens to "bankrupt our entire health care system," according to a new Senate report that modeled the economic impact of the drugs in different uptake scenarios.

If just half of the adults in the US with obesity start taking a new weight-loss drug, such as Wegovy, the collective cost would total an estimated $411 billion per year, the analysis found. That's more than the $406 billion Americans spent in 2022 on all prescription drugs combined.

While the bulk of the spending on weight-loss drugs will occur in the commercial market—which could easily lead to spikes in health insurance premiums—taxpayer-funded Medicare and Medicaid programs will also see an extraordinary financial burden. In the scenario that half of adults with obesity go on the drug, the cost to those federal programs would total $166 billion per year, rivaling the programs' total 2022 drug costs of $175 billion.

In all, by 2031, total US spending on prescription drugs is poised to reach over $1 trillion per year due to weight-loss drugs. Without them, the baseline projected spending on all prescription drugs would be just under $600 billion.

The analysis was put together by the Senate's Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committee, chaired by staunch drug-pricing critic Bernie Sanders (I-Vt). And it's quick to knock down a common argument about the high prices for smash-hit weight-loss drugs. That is, with their high effectiveness, the drugs will improve people's health in wide-ranging ways, including controlling diabetes, improving cardiovascular health, and potentially more. And, with those improvements, people won't need as much health care, generally, lowering health care costs across the board.

But, while the drugs do appear to have wide-ranging, life-altering benefits for overall health, the prices of the drugs are still set too high to be entirely offset by any savings in health care use. The HELP committee analysis cited a March Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report that found: "at their current prices, [anti-obesity medicines] would cost the federal government more than it would save from reducing other health care spending—which would lead to an overall increase in the deficit over the next 10 years." Moreover, in April, the head of the CBO said that the drugmakers would have to slash prices of their weight-loss drugs by 90 percent to "get in the ballpark" of not increasing the national deficit.

The HELP committee report offered a relatively simple solution to the problem: Drugmakers should set their US prices to match the relatively low prices they've set in other countries. The report focused on Wegovy because it currently accounts for the most US prescriptions in the new class of weight-loss drugs (GLP-1 drugs). Wegovy is made by Denmark-based Novo Nordisk.

In the US, the estimated net price (after rebates) of Wegovy is $809 per month. In Denmark, the price is $186 per month. A study by researchers at Yale estimated that drugs like Wegovy can be profitably manufactured for less than $5 per month.

If Novo Nordisk set its US prices for Wegovy to match the Danish price, spending to treat half of US adults with obesity would drop from $411 billion to $94.5 billion, a roughly $316.5 billion savings.

Without a dramatic price cut, Americans will likely face either losing access to the drugs or shouldering higher overall health care costs, or some of both. The HELP committee report highlighted how this recently played out in North Carolina. In January, the board of trustees for the state employee health plan voted to end all coverage of Wegovy and other GLP-1 drugs due to the cost. Estimates found that if the plan continued to cover the drugs, the state would need to nearly double health insurance premiums to offset the costs.

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The North Carolina State Senate on Wednesday voted 30-15, along party lines, in favor of a Republican bill that would make it illegal for people in the state to wear a mask in public for health reasons. The bill is now moving to the House, where it could potentially see changes.

The proposed ban on health-based masking is part of a larger bill otherwise aimed at increasing penalties for people wearing masks to conceal their identity while committing a crime or impeding traffic. The bill was largely spurred by recent protests on university and college campuses across the country, including North Carolina-based schools, against the war in Gaza. In recent months, there have been demonstrations in Raleigh and Durham that have blocked roadways, as well as clashes on the nearby campus of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Some demonstrators were seen wearing masks in those events.

But the bill, House Bill 237, goes a step further by making it illegal to wear a mask in public for health and safety reasons, either to protect the wearer, those around them, or both. Specifically, the bill repeals a 2020 legal exemption, enacted amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed for public health-based masking for the first time in decades.

Prior to 2020, laws dating back to 1953 largely prohibited public masking. The prohibition was part of a crackdown on "secret societies" at the time, or more specifically an attempt to curtail the activities of the Ku Klux Clan in the state. Exemptions only existed for things like holiday costumes, theater productions, gas masks, and members of public parades or ceremonies that had obtained permits.

On Wednesday, North Carolina residents with compromised immune systems spoke—while masked—during a public comment section. Simone Hetherington told lawmakers that masking was the only way to protect herself in public from illness and feared passage of the bill would prevent her from doing so, according to reporting by the Associated Press.

But, according to The News & Observer, Republicans were dismissive of that possibility, arguing that in the decades prior to the pandemic, when public masking was largely illegal, they couldn't recall anyone being prosecuted for wearing a mask for health reasons.

Raleigh-based news outlet WRAL quoted Sen. Sydney Batch, a Democrat from Wake, who criticized the bill along with fellow Democratic colleagues. Batch, a cancer survivor, spoke of how her husband and children wore masks to protect her while she underwent cancer treatments that weakened her immune system. "This bill criminalizes their behavior, and mine," she said. "We talk a lot about freedoms in this chamber. I hear it all the time. I should have the freedom—my children and my husband should have the freedom—to wear masks in order to protect and save my life, without fear of being arrested and charged."

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The Ford Tempo was never a glamorous car. It was slow, small, and almost entirely style-free. But at the same time, the Tempo’s sheer mundanity came in shades. If you really wanted to unimpress, you had to go for broke by buying the incredibly obscure and short-lived diesel version.

Joy of joys, you can do exactly that today! A seller in Cleveland, Ohio has listed a 1985 Ford Tempo in gleaming condition, and…it’s got the diesel donk! It’s about as mid as you can get without hitting rock bottom, and it could be yours.

Yes, Ford’s entry into the world of front-wheel-drive compacts was unexceptional and forgettable. The Tempo name died forever just 11 years after it entered production. It was neither interesting nor bad enough to make a serious impression on anybody, but we’re not anybody. We’re The Autopian, so we’re gonna remember the diesel Tempo and pore over this finely preserved example.

From 1984 to 1986, Ford offered the Tempo with Mazda’s RF diesel engine under the hood. The four-cylinder engine offered just 53 horsepower, which is even funnier when you realize that’s just 39 kW. That is what the kids call a low number. Torque wasn’t great either, with just 82 pound-feet on tap—about enough to twist apart an Oreo. The diesel models were only available with a five-speed manual. This was a sage decision on Ford’s part, because they’d be even slower if they lost more power through a torque-converter automatic.

The diesel came with one main benefit, though—fuel economy. Where the 2.3-liter gas engine was achieving 23 mpg combined, the diesel would trounce that with a figure of 34 mpg combined. If you only had one gallon of diesel, you could go a whole 11 miles further than your friend with one gallon of gas! If you were both racing to dig up treasure 30 miles away, you’d have the edge by far. Still, your friend would have far less trouble merging onto the highway, with the 2.3-liter HSC gas engine having a much healthier 90 horsepower on tap.

The owner of this fine 1985 Ford Tempo GLX claims even better economy than that. The ad reports achieving up to 43 to 51 miles per gallon. That’s within the believable range, assuming some careful hypermiling techniques were applied. The Tempo was light by modern standards, at 2,606 pounds, which didn’t hurt either.

It’s in amazing condition for a 39-year-old vehicle. The Tempo is resplendent in Regatta Blue, and it wears its badges with pride. The owner notes it’s sat for 6-8 months, but it has near new tires. “Needs to be driven!” reads the ad, and that’s true. It does. Honestly, the car looks like it rolled out of the dealership last week, ready to go. Even the underbody is clean.

What about mileage? Well, it’s got 72,000 miles on the clock. That works out to less than 2,000 miles a year.

This Tempo was delivered fully-loaded, to boot. The owner has plenty of documents on the car, including a “Deluxe Marti report” that outlines the car’s options from the factory. This one came new with power steering, the sports instrument cluster, air conditioning, and power windows. It even scored power locks, a sunroof, and “Speed Control,” which is what Ford called cruise control in the 1980s. Hilariously, the document also notes that the car was built ten days behind schedule. The diesel was apparently so slow, it even dawdled through the production line.

It’s not hard to buy a desirable classic car if you’ve got lots of money. There are plenty of old Jaguars, Ferraris, and Porsches in fine shape, which are maintained to that degree because of the glory they inspire. It’s much rarer to happen across a regular car that has been kept to this standard. And that’s what makes this Tempo so special.

As an aside, I’ll tell you a deep secret. It’s this writer’s dream to build a Tempo track car one day. I have a yearning to drive the car that was so middle-of-the-road, it was forgotten as soon as someone stopped looking at it. A diesel Tempo would be all the better, though I couldn’t possibly desecrate a pristine living example like this one.

If you bought this car for $5,500, you’d probably be driving one of only a handful of Tempos still remaining. The fact that it’s of the diesel, manual variety only makes it rarer. If you treat Cars and Coffee like a competitive blood sport, buy this Ford Tempo, and cherish it like the gem that it never was. Precious few remain, and they ought to be cherished.

Image credits: Facebook Marketplace, Ford

The post This Pristine Diesel Ford Tempo Has Less Speed And Style Than Anything Else You Can Buy appeared first on The Autopian.

Bosch Parade 2022

The Bosch Parade, a theatrical and musical art spectacle on the Netherlands’ Dommel River, kicks off on Thursday, June 20. For four days, spectators on the riverbanks can experience a procession of 19 floating, paddling, and swimming works of art in the middle of the historic center of ’s-Hertogenbosch, the birthplace and home of Hieronymous Bosch (1450–1516). The tenth edition of the parade is dedicated to our contemporary demons.

Fantasy, Absurdities, and Wonderment
An impressive spectacle that amazes, touches, and connects viewers, Bosch Parade 2024 is the tenth edition of this floating art manifestation in the heart of ’s-Hertogenbosch. As in previous editions, visual artists, directors, and choreographers from the Netherlands and around the world will pay tribute to the timeless creativity and imagination of Bosch. In this all-new fascinating cruise of the ludicrous, nineteen quirky and colorful art objects full of fantasies and absurdities will be shown to thousands of spectators. 

Extraordinary Creations Depict Contemporary Demons
Through floating, bobbing, and wading creations, renowned and emerging artists present their interpretations of the theme of this year’s edition: contemporary demons. Algorithms, data, news reports, social media, hackers, trackers, and influencers rattle like menacing pests at the gates of our existence. What do we have to fear from these tormentors? Do we turn away from them, or surrender? 

During Bosch Parade 2024, artists and creators from far and wide will highlight these contemporary demons in a wondrous spectacle of unique sailing artworks, some of which feature theater, dance, and music.

Lennie Visser, “Evolution of Demons” (2024)

Thespian Lennie Visser, collaborating with designer Jelle Engel, creates singular circus performances with Boost Producties, exploring the boundaries between movement theatre, circus, dance, and visual arts. Visser will perform “Evolution of Demons” at this year’s Bosch Parade.

Chant van Lieshout and MOSs Social Club, “Isteria Archipelago” (2024)

Chant van Lieshout and MOSs Social Club have created a magical archipelago “Isteria Archipelago”, a utopian paradise where deformed fish, amid pollution and decay, work toward a better universe.

Artist rendering of Simone Serlenga and Amy Evans, “The Voyage of the Ship of Fools” (2024)

For centuries, Bosch’s The Ship of Fools (c. 1490–1500) has been a symbol of a flawed human society. Simone Serlenga and Amy Evans used it as inspiration for their installation,“The Voyage of the Ship of Fools”, to deliver a similar social critique of today’s excesses: overconsumption and a constant desire for newer, bigger, and better.

Bosch Parade 2022, SKYPUNCH COLLECTIVE, project Naîad

Garden of Earthly Delights: David Bade & Tirzo Martha

Part of this year’s Bosch Parade is the Garden of Earthly Delights, a summery open-air studio on the waterfront at the Citadel, a medieval fortress in the center of ’s-Hertogenbosch. From May 23 through June 23, you can see and meet artists at work in this breeding ground of artistic fervor, including Curaçao artists David Bade and Tirzo Martha, who collaborated with dozens of volunteers, artists, and students from Curaçao and the Netherlands on an impressive gesamtkunstwerk that will continue to be built from May onwards with the opportunity for attendees of the parade to participate.

To learn more, visit boschparade.nl, and view the 2024 full program.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article The Floating Bosch Parade Makes a Spectacle of Online Life on a River in The Netherlands appeared first on Colossal.

Finally a break from Disney’s same-face syndrome

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