5SR - November 3, 2023

Hitha on military appointments, medical debt, and the silliest show on TV

Author

Hitha Palepu
November 03, 2023

Today’s curator is the founder of #5SmartReads, Hitha Palepu. She’s a consummate multihyphenate - CEO of Rhoshan Pharmaceuticals, author of WE’RE SPEAKING: The Life Lessons of Kamala Harris and How to Pack: Travel Smart for Any Trip, and professional speaker. Hitha is an unabashed fan of Taco Bell, Philadelphia sports teams & F1, romance novels, and is a mediocre crafter. She lives in NYC with her husband and two sons.

It’s been 5 years of #5SmartReads (I’m uncertain of the exact date, but I do know it was sometime in November of 2018 that this series began to gain traction, thanks to you.

If you enjoy this newsletter, would you consider referring it to your circle? You’ll earn perks and my undying appreciation and love.

Senator Tuberville’s inane and dangerous blocking of military appointments appears to have hit a wall, with Republicans and Democrats coming together to confirm Admiral Lisa Franchetti as the chief of naval operations, General David Allvin as chief of staff of the US Air Force, and Christopher Mahoney to general and second-in-command of the US Marine Corps.

There are over 300 promotions still being blocked by Tuberville (with some critical positions waiting their confirmed appointee), with no sign of compromise from him.

Democrats are looking to make a rule change to approve these appointments en bloc. While it has no bipartisan support now, I wonder if sentiment will change as risk to our national security only increases.

In any case, Admiral Franchetti’s appointment is a history making one, as she’s the first woman to serve in the Navy’s top post.

I’m so excited to read Roxane Gay’s newest book - and all of these books she’s recommended.

Besides The Woman in Me, I have yet to read any of the books she’s recommended. I’m placing her frequent recommendation and the book she'd want to be turned into a TV show at the top of my ever-growing TBR - just as soon as I finish Opinions.

Everything we try to put in a silo is deeply intersectional. Debt is the clearest example of this.

“Under mounting pressure from patient advocates and government regulators, the three major credit agencies over the last two years have taken a series of steps to remove some medical debts from credit reports, including unpaid medical bills under $500.

The changes appear to be having an impact. As of August, just 5% of adults with a credit report had a medical debt on their report, down from almost 14% two years earlier, the Urban Institute analysis found.”

The removal of debt from credit reports goes beyond improving credit scores (the average rose from 585 to 615 for those with debt on their credit report). The rise in scores have made helped them rent an apartment or purchase a car, get a job - all key things to improve one’s quality of life.

That’s not to say that the debt has been forgiven by these agencies (though nonprofits like RIP Medical Debt allow individuals to purchase and forgive the debt at a steep discount (a $100 donation can purchase and forgive about $10,000 of debt).

I hope policy makers expand their approach on this issue from removing medical debt from credit reports and working on solving the problem of medical debt in the first place.

I made a mistake when I first starting watching The Gilded Age.

I took it seriously.

If you watched the show expecting a level of excellence (which you’d expect, with this cast and the creator’s previous work), you’d be disappointed. If you watch it with no expectations and for the vibes only, you’d enjoy it thoroughly.

And if season 1 took itself way too seriously, season 2 got in on the joke and doubled down on what it did do well - overblown drama over the tiniest things that reminds me of absurd Housewives drama like cheese, stuffed bunnies, and fashion shows with no fashions.

But don’t take it from me. David Mack’s salacious review of the show is just brilliant, and has me even more excited for The Gilded Age’s return.

If there’s something I’ve learned in the past 5 years of writing #5SmartReads, it’s to look locally when hope seems lost at the federal level.

This reframe has helped me find hope in the fight for reproductive healthcare rights, in public sector support for the care economy, and in how we continue to fight the opioid epidemic.

On the latter, I’d like to take you to Hancock County in Ohio.

With $50B in legal settlements making their way to the communities all around the country. Hancock County has an intersectional program to support those in recovery - housing, a needle exchange, a community center, and outreach workers to support those in recovery and their families.

I hope you take the time to read this piece and learn about the specifics of this program, and the promise it shows.

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