Dania Palanker
@ipersist.bsky.social
Health insurance, disability equity, pain policy. I will not sit quietly while they try to take health care and health research away from us.
Never share a screenshot of text w/out the entire text in alt text so it's actually accessible.
Never share a screenshot of text w/out the entire text in alt text so it's actually accessible.
Pinned
Dania Palanker
@ipersist.bsky.social
· Jun 13
My grandmother was a young pregnant Jewish woman alone on a train in Poland during WWII when a German soldier told her to get off at the next stop because there wouldn't be any soldiers waiting at the station. She survived because, in that moment, a soldier chose the right thing over obeying orders.
I am dropping a doctor who was instrumental in eliminating some of my most severe pain because of her participation in the process & PR rollout of this FDA decision. She is helping legitimize RFK Jr, Makary & a process that will be used to take away access to evidence based medication.
The FDA bypassed its typical process and overstated the science behind menopause hormone therapy, experts told me – with troubling implications for future drug decisions
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Doctors respond to ‘data-free’ decision over menopause hormone therapy: ‘It’s not true’
Physicians say FDA panel conflated two issues and made baseless claims about unproven health benefits
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:43 PM
I am dropping a doctor who was instrumental in eliminating some of my most severe pain because of her participation in the process & PR rollout of this FDA decision. She is helping legitimize RFK Jr, Makary & a process that will be used to take away access to evidence based medication.
We have seen & heard enough from RFK Jr. for me to confidently predict the Long COVID Consortium will
- be driven by pseudoscience & lie
- spend a disproportionate amount of time on post-vaccination syndromes, &
- promote fringe treatments that have poor evidence or are known to cause harm
- be driven by pseudoscience & lie
- spend a disproportionate amount of time on post-vaccination syndromes, &
- promote fringe treatments that have poor evidence or are known to cause harm
It's now been over two months, and we still don't have any updates from the federal government on RFK Jr.'s Long COVID Consortium. During the meeting the head of ARPA-H stated they would have plans within "weeks".
thesicktimes.org/2025/10/21/i...
thesicktimes.org/2025/10/21/i...
It’s been a month. And we still don’t know much about Kennedy’s Long COVID consortium. - The Sick Times
Preliminary meetings are occurring amid the ongoing government shutdown, while some advocates call for Health Secretary Kennedy’s removal
thesicktimes.org
November 25, 2025 at 7:15 PM
We have seen & heard enough from RFK Jr. for me to confidently predict the Long COVID Consortium will
- be driven by pseudoscience & lie
- spend a disproportionate amount of time on post-vaccination syndromes, &
- promote fringe treatments that have poor evidence or are known to cause harm
- be driven by pseudoscience & lie
- spend a disproportionate amount of time on post-vaccination syndromes, &
- promote fringe treatments that have poor evidence or are known to cause harm
I guess I'll put dressing better in the eyes of Sean Duffy on the list of ways to be patriotic along with not being chronically ill and eating carrots instead of carrot cake
Duffy on his demand that air travelers not wear slippers or pajamas: "It honors our country ... don't take your shoes off and put your feet on the chair ahead of you"
November 24, 2025 at 9:03 PM
I guess I'll put dressing better in the eyes of Sean Duffy on the list of ways to be patriotic along with not being chronically ill and eating carrots instead of carrot cake
"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of soy—and farms—and Russia's war—
Of fentanyl—and kings"
"To talk of many things:
Of soy—and farms—and Russia's war—
Of fentanyl—and kings"
“To that end, President Xi invited me to visit Beijing in April, which I accepted, and I reciprocated where he will be my guest for a State Visit in the U.S. later in the year.”
November 24, 2025 at 5:55 PM
"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of soy—and farms—and Russia's war—
Of fentanyl—and kings"
"To talk of many things:
Of soy—and farms—and Russia's war—
Of fentanyl—and kings"
Reposted by Dania Palanker
Our new policy explainer examines the implications of Republican proposals to repeal and replace some or all of the ACA premium tax credits, which currently help make Marketplace coverage more affordable, with federal contributions to HSAs or the like.
https://on.kff.org/4a9fZGB
https://on.kff.org/4a9fZGB
The New ACA Repeal and Replace: Health Savings Accounts | KFF
Proposals from some Republicans in Congress would effectively repeal some or all of the ACA premium tax credits and replace them with contributions to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) or something simil...
on.kff.org
November 21, 2025 at 10:40 PM
Our new policy explainer examines the implications of Republican proposals to repeal and replace some or all of the ACA premium tax credits, which currently help make Marketplace coverage more affordable, with federal contributions to HSAs or the like.
https://on.kff.org/4a9fZGB
https://on.kff.org/4a9fZGB
Reposted by Dania Palanker
Cheers to the person who leaked the initial changes www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
In reversal, Coast Guard again classifies swastikas, nooses as hate symbols
The new order came hours after The Post reported the service would instead classify such symbols as “potentially divisive” under guidelines set for release next month.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 21, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Cheers to the person who leaked the initial changes www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Reposted by Dania Palanker
NEW: The Court has ruled that the National Guard deployment to DC is illegal and granted a preliminary injunction.
As we made clear from the beginning: the US military should not be policing American citizens on American soil.
This is a victory for DC, Home Rule, and American democracy.
As we made clear from the beginning: the US military should not be policing American citizens on American soil.
This is a victory for DC, Home Rule, and American democracy.
November 20, 2025 at 8:49 PM
NEW: The Court has ruled that the National Guard deployment to DC is illegal and granted a preliminary injunction.
As we made clear from the beginning: the US military should not be policing American citizens on American soil.
This is a victory for DC, Home Rule, and American democracy.
As we made clear from the beginning: the US military should not be policing American citizens on American soil.
This is a victory for DC, Home Rule, and American democracy.
Reposted by Dania Palanker
Wow, Bill Cassidy voted to confirm RFK Jr and all he got was this shitty asterisk
November 20, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Wow, Bill Cassidy voted to confirm RFK Jr and all he got was this shitty asterisk
Reposted by Dania Palanker
Just a reminder that I'm happy to speak to any journalist, or to recommend other scholars to do so, about why prejudice and "potentially divisive symbols" like swastikas (!) are so harmful to morale and cohesion in militaries
U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses as hate symbols
The military service, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, has drafted a new policy that classifies such items “potentially divisive.”
www.washingtonpost.com
November 20, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Just a reminder that I'm happy to speak to any journalist, or to recommend other scholars to do so, about why prejudice and "potentially divisive symbols" like swastikas (!) are so harmful to morale and cohesion in militaries
RFK Jr. is doing exactly what those of us paying attention said he was going to do. The amount of death and suffering he is causing is phenomenal.
CDC has overhauled its website to assert that “the claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim”
November 20, 2025 at 3:36 AM
RFK Jr. is doing exactly what those of us paying attention said he was going to do. The amount of death and suffering he is causing is phenomenal.
Reposted by Dania Palanker
OBBBA includes provisions that will harm people with disabilities by limiting State Directed Payments, leading to fewer and slower services. This brief outlines the impacts and advocacy pathways. https://healthlaw.org/resource/obbba-harms-people-with-disabilities-limits-on-state-directed-payments/
OBBBA Harms People with Disabilities: Limits on State Directed Payments
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) includes many provisions that will harm people with disabilities. In this brief, we explain how the bill limits State Directed Payments (SDPs), discuss how these cuts will lead to slower and fewer services for disabled people, and offer potential avenues for future advocacy.
healthlaw.org
November 19, 2025 at 10:02 PM
OBBBA includes provisions that will harm people with disabilities by limiting State Directed Payments, leading to fewer and slower services. This brief outlines the impacts and advocacy pathways. https://healthlaw.org/resource/obbba-harms-people-with-disabilities-limits-on-state-directed-payments/
Hubris
Ignorance
Privilege
Audacity
Ableism
Ignorance
Privilege
Audacity
Ableism
Markwayne Mullin: "Reward people for being healthy. Think about this. Healthcare is the only industry that you're not rewarded for taking care of your responsibility. If you think about homeowners insurance, if you're within 500 feet of a fire hydrant, your insurance goes down."
November 19, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Hubris
Ignorance
Privilege
Audacity
Ableism
Ignorance
Privilege
Audacity
Ableism
Reposted by Dania Palanker
Disability education should not be put into HHS because it's not a health issue, it's an education issue. The idea that disability = health is dehumanizing and, frankly, simply wrong.
November 18, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Disability education should not be put into HHS because it's not a health issue, it's an education issue. The idea that disability = health is dehumanizing and, frankly, simply wrong.
Reposted by Dania Palanker
To add to the pile of Alice Wong's work (that we should continue reading for years and years to come), here's an archival link to an digital Bitch Media Access Issue that Alice co-edited back in 2021 (apologies for access issues on this archival link) web.archive.org/web/20211104...
Why We’re Running a Series About Access
Access is still treated as if it’s a privilege, a burden, or a form of special treatment.
web.archive.org
November 17, 2025 at 7:58 PM
To add to the pile of Alice Wong's work (that we should continue reading for years and years to come), here's an archival link to an digital Bitch Media Access Issue that Alice co-edited back in 2021 (apologies for access issues on this archival link) web.archive.org/web/20211104...
Btw, he won't stop with vaccines
So many of us have been warning the public that RFK Jr. is going to take away access to as many vaccines as he can.
The December ACIP meeting is dedicating an entire day to reviewing “the safety” of the childhood vaccine schedule.
There’s not a shred of credible evidence that warrants this.
The December ACIP meeting is dedicating an entire day to reviewing “the safety” of the childhood vaccine schedule.
There’s not a shred of credible evidence that warrants this.
November 17, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Btw, he won't stop with vaccines
Does this sound familiar?
"We should only be taking stuff—we should only be giving our kids stuff—if it's actually necessary, safe & effective"
This is right out of the anti-vax & anti-abortion playbooks
And it's very dangerous that Vance uses this strategy to talk about ibuprofen
"We should only be taking stuff—we should only be giving our kids stuff—if it's actually necessary, safe & effective"
This is right out of the anti-vax & anti-abortion playbooks
And it's very dangerous that Vance uses this strategy to talk about ibuprofen
JD Vance calls ibuprofen "useless medication" and implies it's not "necessary, safe and effective."
November 13, 2025 at 1:44 AM
Does this sound familiar?
"We should only be taking stuff—we should only be giving our kids stuff—if it's actually necessary, safe & effective"
This is right out of the anti-vax & anti-abortion playbooks
And it's very dangerous that Vance uses this strategy to talk about ibuprofen
"We should only be taking stuff—we should only be giving our kids stuff—if it's actually necessary, safe & effective"
This is right out of the anti-vax & anti-abortion playbooks
And it's very dangerous that Vance uses this strategy to talk about ibuprofen
Reposted by Dania Palanker
And a third possibility is that they actually mean some sort of new individual health reimbursement account (HRA), not HSAs.
My point is, if Republicans don't actually know what acronym they're planning to use, maybe news outlets shouldn't be credulous about Republicans having a "plan."
My point is, if Republicans don't actually know what acronym they're planning to use, maybe news outlets shouldn't be credulous about Republicans having a "plan."
This is neither here nor there, but the distinction between a FSA and a HSA is actually pretty monumental — FSAs are use-it-or-lose-it, HSAs are not — and I don't think we actually know which one Trump(/Rick Scott/Bill Cassidy) is talking about in his new concepts of a plan
November 10, 2025 at 9:22 PM
And a third possibility is that they actually mean some sort of new individual health reimbursement account (HRA), not HSAs.
My point is, if Republicans don't actually know what acronym they're planning to use, maybe news outlets shouldn't be credulous about Republicans having a "plan."
My point is, if Republicans don't actually know what acronym they're planning to use, maybe news outlets shouldn't be credulous about Republicans having a "plan."
Reposted by Dania Palanker
Reposted by Dania Palanker
Call the United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and they will connect you with your senator's office.
If you're represented by one of the squishier centrists, be sure to make a call. Now.
If you're represented by one of the squishier centrists, be sure to make a call. Now.
Sounds like the squishes in the senate caucus are ready to pull the plug with no ACA changes. This is real. If you want to register your opinion you shld call yr senator in the next hour. They not only want to reopen w/nothing. They want cover from their colleagues who still want to hold out.
November 9, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Call the United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and they will connect you with your senator's office.
If you're represented by one of the squishier centrists, be sure to make a call. Now.
If you're represented by one of the squishier centrists, be sure to make a call. Now.
Any democrat that votes for a budget that does not move significantly on health care is giving government benefits & services as we know them away to Vought, the Heritage Foundation & the GOP
The Trump administration is directing states to “immediately undo” any efforts taken to offer full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for this month.
www.notus.org/trump-white-...
www.notus.org/trump-white-...
Trump Administration Demands States ‘Undo’ Their Efforts to Pay Full SNAP Benefits
Nearly 42 million Americans rely on the federally funded food assistance program.
www.notus.org
November 9, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Any democrat that votes for a budget that does not move significantly on health care is giving government benefits & services as we know them away to Vought, the Heritage Foundation & the GOP
I hope someone sent DC sandwich guy a shirt from Katz's deli
November 6, 2025 at 8:13 PM
I hope someone sent DC sandwich guy a shirt from Katz's deli
Reposted by Dania Palanker
WGAE members, this is going to be such an amazing event on Zoom, with panelists @susanrinkunas.com of @autonomynews.co, Zora Howard, Eliza Hittman, and Caren Spruch of @ppfa.org, moderated by @melissahilfers.bsky.social! RSVP in the link!
What do we do when our reproductive rights are under attack? Stand up, write back! Join us for a virtual panel in which screenwriters, journalists and experts discuss how we can reframe reproductive freedom in our stories.
This event is only open to WGAE members. RSVP: wgaea.st/repro-freedom
This event is only open to WGAE members. RSVP: wgaea.st/repro-freedom
November 5, 2025 at 7:59 PM
WGAE members, this is going to be such an amazing event on Zoom, with panelists @susanrinkunas.com of @autonomynews.co, Zora Howard, Eliza Hittman, and Caren Spruch of @ppfa.org, moderated by @melissahilfers.bsky.social! RSVP in the link!
