5SR - June 30, 2023

Marisa is a corporate employee benefits account executive, a freelance writer and #5SmartReads contributor, a sometimes reluctant Midwesterner, and mom to a pre-school aged daughter. She just got back from two weeks out of the office - totally unplugged! - and appreciates everyone's grace while she catches up!

The First MAGA Democrat (The Atlantic)

Man, this is a great long-form journalistic biography. I'll admit that I don't know THAT MUCH about RFK Jr., despite being a bit of a Kennedy history aficionado, so this was a really interesting peek into someone who I knew of really only as an anti-vaxxer - not as someone polling 20 points over President Biden for the 2024 nomination.

More than that, with those kind of numbers, it may be a peek into the minds of some of our fellow Americans... and I'm not sure I like what I see.

‘You’re Not God’: Doctors And Patient Families Say HCA Hospitals Push Hospice Care (NBC News)

HCA owns a majority of the hospitals in my metro area, and as someone who consults with employers locally and nationally on health insurance coverage for a job, it's fair to say I am more than familiar with them.

Something I was less familiar with? That a transfer to hospice is effectively a "discharge" - impacting in-hospital mortality rates and skewing HCA's quality metrics in their favor. To be clear, I am in favor of hospice and palliative care when appropriate - but this really interesting read raises some things to be cognizant of if you or a loved one ever find yourself battling a serious injury or illness.

Pregnant Or Recently Pregnant? A New Law Could Make Your Life Easier (Vox)

I know there are a lot of moms and moms-to-be in this community, and this one is for you! It's a nice explainer on the Pregnant Worker's Fairness Act, which went into effect on June 28, and how to make sure you are accessing the protections it grants you while pregnant or postpartum.

Retirement Talk Surrounding Thomas, Alito Raises Stakes For 2024 Election (The Hill)

I've been pleasantly surprised so far this term by the moderate decisions handed down by SCOTUS, particularly in Moore v. Harper (nay to independent state legislature doctrine!) and Haaland v. Brackeen (upholding the Indian Child Welfare Act) - but like many of you, I remain concerned about the damage an overly zealous, ideologically motivated court could do in the future.

With an opportunity to potentially replace Thomas and Alito falling to whoever wins the 2024 presidential race, consider this your periodic reminder that ELECTIONS MATTER!

The Long, Complicated, And Very Pink History Of Barbiecore (Time)

I had two emails in my inbox this morning touting two different looks from Margot Robbie as "peak" Barbiecore, and tbh, I'm not mad about it. I loved Barbie as a kid, am very much looking forward to the Greta Gerwig movie later this summer, and am more than happy to have pops of pink (or entire pink ensembles!) in my wardrobe.

As a parent I was a bit more reluctant to let my daughter engage with Barbie, but a friend with a daughter about the same age (hi, Humanette!) reminded me about something that is addressed in this piece, specifically: “Unlike play with a baby doll—in which a little girl is pretty much limited to assuming the role of Mommy—Barbie has always represented the fact that a woman has choices."

And so I have also shamelessly embraced Barbie's role in my daughter's universe and am excited to get to share in this moment of cultural zeitgeist with her.5SR -