How tough should the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) be when approving drugs? Currently drugmakers must not only show their drugs are safe (Phase 0 and Phase 1 trials), but also, they have the desired effect on the body for most people (Phase 2 and Phase 3).
Wednesday Links
- The Covid vaccine works against cancer.
- Why New Yorkers voted for a socialist mayor.
- Polling on what to do about Social Security finances.
- Beginning in January, Medicare will begin paying over $1,000 for an artificial intelligence product that analyzes CT scans of the heart for signs of harmful plaque that can cause a heart attack. (Statnews)
Does Your Doctor Need a Boss?
In my early days as a health economist, it became something of a fad for health policy analysts to argue that the U.S. health care system needed more vertical integration. Basically, your doctor needed a boss, who oversaw numerous doctors coordinating your care. I recall reading numerous articles with titles like, “does your doctor need a boss?” The Cato Institute published an article on the topic in 2009, as did many others.
Tuesday Links
- Community Health Centers serve one in ten Americans.
- Even though 90 percent of US prescription drugs are generic, the number of U.S. facilities producing generic drugs has fallen by 27 percent since 2013. (NYT)
- The “worst test” in medicine is driving America’s high C-section rate. (NYT)
- Rising housing costs since 1990 are responsible for 11% fewer children, 51% of the total fertility rate decline between the 2000s and 2010s, and 7 percentage points fewer young families in the 2010s.
- CMS: “The average Marketplace premium after tax credits is projected to be $50 per month for the lowest cost plan in 2026 for eligible enrollees.”