President Joe Biden's proposal to increase taxes on Americans earning more than $400,000 a year from 3.8% to 5% in order to shore up Medicare is being welcomed by an unlikely constituency, the ultrarich.

Morris Pearl, chair of the group Patriotic Millionaires and a former managing director at BlackRock, said there is more than enough money to fund Medicare. He argued the wealthiest Americans, especially those living off of their investments, can and should be paying more.

"Our country can go two different directions," Pearl asserted. "We can ask the financially challenged people who need Medicare to sacrifice more by having less medical care, or we can ask the ultrarich to sacrifice more, by being a little bit less ultrarich."

Biden's proposal would keep Medicare solvent for at least the next 25 years, according to estimates by the Medicare Office of the Chief Actuary. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the Minority Leader, has dismissed the proposal and promised it will not advance in Congress. Critics said raising taxes would hurt the economy, which depends on consumer activity. They argued people would spend less if their earnings drop.

Pearl agreed the economy depends on consumer spending, and stressed working Americans who spend most of what they bring home should be allowed to keep more of their money.

"The very rich people are not going to spend more money; they'll just become a little bit richer," Pearl contended. "Somebody like me, if my tax rates are cut, I'm not going to live any differently. I'll just see the balances in my portfolio be a little bit higher than they would otherwise."

More than 65 million people in Colorado and across the U.S. depend on Medicare coverage, but the fund's trustees warn cuts to benefits will be necessary by 2028 without increased revenues. Pearl noted the nation's economy was strong under the Republican Eisenhower administration, when the wealthiest Americans paid tax rates up to 90% on their second, third and fourth millions.

"And there's no reason why people who make a lot of money now should be paying -- not the same tax rate as people who work for a living -- but actually lower tax rates than people that work," Pearl emphasized. "We need to change the system."


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Health advocates are promoting a package of bills this legislative session to make health care easier to get - and more affordable.

The Care 4 All California coalition, which includes more than 70 organizations, unveiled a set of 10 bills Wednesday in Sacramento.

Andrea Rivera, senior legislative advocate for the California Pan Ethnic Health Network, said grassroots support can make big things happen.

"Historically, communities of color, we're not invested in," Rivera pointed out. "Together, we are stronger, louder, and more powerful. Together, we cannot be ignored."

The coalition sees the bills as a series of steps on the way to achieving universal coverage by bringing down costs and removing barriers to care.

Right now, the Affordable Care Act bars undocumented people from purchasing health coverage through the Covered California marketplace.

Asm. Joaquin Arambula, D-Fresno, introduced a bill to ask the feds for a waiver.

"That's why I introduced a before this year, a bill that will end the unjust exclusion of our undocumented community from Covered California," Arambula explained. "We have to create a health care system that is more universal, affordable and equitable for all Californians."

Asm. Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, authored Assembly Bill 1208 to eliminate deductibles and lower copays for people on Covered California Silver plans. She wrote a second bill to allow Medi-Cal to offer additional services to new mothers.

"AB 608 would expand a mother's access to perinatal health workers who screen for postpartum depression, help with child nutrition, and provide a warm handoff to a host of other social services," Schiavo outlined.

Other bills in the package aim to eliminate surprise ambulance bills, require private health plans to cover things like wheelchairs when prescribed by a doctor, improve access to mental health care for youths, increase oversight of health care mergers, and improve financial transparency from medical groups.


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Colorectal cancer is second only to lung cancer in the number of lives it will take in Iowa this year. Now, doctors at the University of Iowa are studying ways to not only save lives, but reduce the number of colon cancer surgeries for patients.

Currently, colon cancer patients typically have to undergo surgery to have part of their colon removed or resected. Now, University of Iowa researchers are using immunotherapy to reduce surgeries and improve survival rates. If a patient's tumor biopsy has a certain genetic marker or mutation, they can receive targeted therapy instead of undergoing surgery.

Dr. Saima Sharif, Oncologist at the University of Iowa Holden Cancer Center, is directing a new treatment trial and said the number of people with the genetic mutation could be as high as 20%.

"So one in five patients who are getting their colonoscopy is a significant amount of patients," Sharif pointed out. "If we look in Iowa, we are expecting to have about 1,600 new cases diagnosed in 2023."

If doctors can detect the tumors early and treat them, they can reduce the number of people who need surgeries and, potentially, the number of deaths. Researchers began accepting patient applications for the clinical trial this week.

Cancer tricks the body's natural immune system into thinking abnormal cancer cells are normal, so the body will not attack them, allowing the cancer to grow. Immunotherapy turns the tables on cancer and uses the body's own cells and other drugs to attack it. Sharif noted immunotherapy makes the cancer fighting cells unrecognizable, which is what makes it successful.

"So what immunotherapy drugs do is it helps release the brakes off of the patient's immune system that the cancer has placed," Sharif outlined. "Preventing it to recognize cancer as abnormal, and this unleashes the patient's own immune system against the cancer to fight the cancer cells and kill them."

The trial will start with 25 patients. Sharif added they will grow the study depending on how many patients' tumors respond well to the treatment.

This March marks the 50th anniversary of National Nutrition Month.

Making sure children eat healthy can be tricky.

Chuck Larimer, an elementary school physical education teacher in Stayton, southeast of Salem, said his school has been part of the American Heart Association's Kids Heart Challenge for 23 years.

He observed students look forward to the program, but it's not just about getting active.

"There's more to it than just exercise, which is also important," Larimer explained. "It's that whole body wellness that's more of a focus"

The Kids Heart Challenge has been going on for nearly 45 years in elementary, middle and high schools across the country.

The American Heart Association said a few tips for parents can help introduce healthy foods to kids, even if they're picky eaters. Parents should include at least one item in meals everyone at the table likes. The group urged parents to shop and cook with their kids, and not get discouraged.

"I know at least with my boys' experience that taste buds do change and things that taste weird, or they might not like early on," Larimer noted. "That can change. And just try to continue to introduce different items."

Research has shown it can take at least 11 tries for a child to decide they like a new food, according to the American Heart Association. It also advised parents to offer fruits and vegetables when it is snack time to get them used to it.