Human Interest

As a young man, I rarely gave my health a second thought.

All that changed shortly after my 21st birthday. A screening at the Los Angeles LGBT Center revealed I had contracted HIV. Turns out that I was infected during a sexual assault in Philadelphia two years prior.

Since then, I've paid much closer attention to my health. Thanks to the medicines I take, my HIV is fully suppressed.

Congress is considering a bill to address problems with the patent protections afforded to American drug firms. Though well-intentioned, this bill would hamstring firms' ability to create new medicines and improve existing drugs.

If you've seen CNBC's "Shark Tank," you understand the importance of intellectual property protections. When deciding whether to invest in a young company, the business mogul "sharks" often ask whether the entrepreneur has filed for a patent. And they're impressed when the answer is "yes."

The reason? Patents are critical for innovation.

Second Family Announced for HGTV’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Wadman Corp. to begin demolition to make way for new home for the Mayo family of Washington Terrace, Utah

First Family Announced for HGTV’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Wadman Corporation to begin building home immediately for the Barobi family of Ogden

We received a report today that a bear injured a person in the Grand County area. The attack happened around 5:45 a.m. on Aug. 9 at the Dewey Bridge Campground, along the Colorado River.

-  The 13-year-old victim was bitten while sleeping. The young man was injured on his right cheek and his right ear. The victim went to the emergency room in Moab and was then transported by ambulance to a hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado. He has been treated and released.  He said the bear was about his size, so it was a smaller bear.

Two years after I was sexually assaulted as a teenager, I was diagnosed with HIV. That day, I realized I had a choice.

I could start thinking of myself as a victim with a lifelong medical condition. Or, I could find a way to stay positive. I chose the latter, and I haven't looked back since.

I am a lucky man. Decades of medical breakthroughs have made HIV a manageable condition. Thanks to treatment, HIV hasn't affected my physical health. In fact, my HIV is so well-managed, it isn't even traceable anymore.

The Trump administration just sold out seniors to appease the health insurance lobby.

Earlier this year, the administration proposed a major healthcare reform that garnered applause across the political spectrum, even from lifelong Democrats like me. The overhaul would have forced insurance companies and pharmacy benefit managers to reduce Medicare beneficiaries' out-of-pocket pharmacy bills by tens of billions of dollars.