South Dakota

What the reaction to a tragic shooting tells us about health care • South Dakota Searchlight

Published

1 year ago

December 18, 2024

What the reaction to a tragic shooting tells us about health care • South Dakota Searchlight

In spite of all the glitter, the dramatic headlines about stunning accomplishments and life-saving interventions as well as the raving of some politicians about the “best health care system in the world,” the U.S. health care system is, at its core, fundamentally dysfunctional.

How can I make such a provocative statement? The U.S. spends nearly twice as much per capita on health care as does any other developed country. In spite of this expenditure, 8-10% of Americans still have no health care coverage while most comparable countries provide health care coverage to all citizens.

Spending at this level would perhaps be acceptable if the population was in fact benefiting with better health outcomes. Here too we fall short. If we look at any of the usually cited metrics of population health such as life expectancy or infant mortality, the U.S. results are worse. Especially concerning is the fact that the U.S. rate of maternal mortality — women dying related to childbirth — is among the highest in the developed world and is getting worse.

U.S. residents increasingly express their dissatisfaction with the health care system. The Gallup organization recently reported that approval ratings on the quality of American health care are the lowest they’ve been in more than two decades.

All this has come to the fore with the recent tragic shooting of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare in New York. Though details continue to emerge, it appears the assassination-style killing was carried out by a young man intent on sending a message of both anguish and hostility toward the health insurance industry. He reportedly wrote in his notebook, “What do you do? You wack the CEO at the annual parasitic bean-counter convention.”

As disturbing and troubling as are the events surrounding the murder, the public reaction to it is similarly distressing. There has been a huge outpouring of support for the shooter almost as though he is being glorified as a folk hero. Additionally, online, there has emerged a range of merchandise (T-shirts, etc.) seeming to applaud the event. These reactions appear to confirm the broad-based unhappiness with health care services and how they are financed.

How can we understand or make sense of these developments? In the U.S., unlike many other developed countries, we have largely treated health care as a commodity to be bought and sold on a capitalistic, free-market model. In my view, this arrangement underlies many of the problems we have encountered.

I am not anti-capitalist. For a large part of the economy, this model has served us well. At the same time, I believe there are sectors of the economy where it does not work as well. We need to be smart enough — and tough enough — to sort out which is which.

In the classic capitalist model, profit and/or market share increase when the perceived value of the product or service increases. What we have too often seen in the health insurance industry is that in order to push up profits, the industry has restricted the services covered or, alternatively, has increased the barriers to receiving those services. This has been highly successful from an industry perspective in that profits have soared, but for many patients who are all too often in a captive market, it has restricted or denied needed care.

What to do? There is no immediate, simple answer. It would seem, though, that the events of the last several weeks should serve as a wake-up call. We have serious problems that demand serious thinking and open-minded discussions.

The fundamental lesson from these events, I believe, is that when profit drives health care decisions, investors win and patients lose. We can and must do better.

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South Dakota

SD Lottery Millionaire for Life winning numbers for March 5, 2026

Published

2 hours ago

March 6, 2026

Press Room

The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 5, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 5 drawing

17-20-23-30-33, Bonus: 05

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.

When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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South Dakota

DOE selects nine school districts for 2026 South Dakota Perkins Reserve grant

Published

14 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

DOE selects nine school districts for 2026 South Dakota Perkins Reserve grant

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Nine school districts have been selected as recipients of the 2026 Perkins Reserve Grant by the South Dakota Department of Education.

The grant provides major equipment upgrades for Career and Technical Education programs, helping to equip students with the skills and experiences needed for post-secondary education and the workforce.

“CTE programs are constantly evolving to match the pace of workforce needs,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Joseph Graves.

“The South Dakota Perkins Reserve Grant aids schools in equipping students with current technologies, resources, and tools, offering students a realistic, hands-on learning experience that will strengthen their marketability to colleges or employers once they leave the K-12 education system.”

The following school districts have been named as the 2026 recipients:

Aberdeen School District:
- Awarded $30,233 for new precision machine equipment for the manufacturing program.
De Smet School District:
- Awarded $15,898 for modernizing metal fabrication within agriculture programs.
Lake Preston School District:
- Awarded $43,160 for expansion of program offers in multiple career clusters to strengthen industrial alignment.
McLaughlin School District:
- Awarded $11,997 to purchase equipment to offer a new culinary arts program.
Menno School District:
- Awarded $32,844 to purchase small engines and attend professional development opportunities to enhance the agricultural mechanics program.
Mitchell School District:
- Awarded $38,663 for the modernization of the automotive technology lab.
Timber Lake School District:
- Awarded $42,400 for the expansion of agriculture course offerings to strengthen industry alignment.
Wakpala School District:
- Awarded $40,145 to purchase a skid steer simulator to enhance the agriculture and construction program.
Wolsey-Wessington School District:
- Awarded $26,201 to purchase industry-aligned equipment to enhance the agriculture and construction program.

You can learn more about the South Dakota Perkins Reserve Grant at doe.sd.gov.

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South Dakota

SD Lottery Powerball, Lotto America winning numbers for March 4, 2026

Published

1 day ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 4, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 4 drawing

07-14-42-47-56, Powerball: 06, Power Play: 4

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from March 4 drawing

33-38-39-47-51, Star Ball: 07, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Dakota Cash numbers from March 4 drawing

02-18-22-30-32

Check Dakota Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 4 drawing

12-13-36-39-58, Bonus: 03

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.

When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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