John C. Goodman – Page 10 – The Goodman Institute Health Blog

Saturday Links

Posted on January 31, 2026January 30, 2026 by John C. Goodman

Capretta on Trump’s new health care plan.
Are health care cost really a major worry for American workers?
If Chinese migrant workers were their own country, it would be one of the ten largest in the world.
New Obamacare exchange: Earning just one dollar more could mean a $10,000 increase in insurance premiums. (NYT)
“Contrary to a common perception, the United States has always been an active industrial policy nation throughout the period, regardless of which party is in power.”
Good and bad news on cancer:

The good news: overall, five-year survival rates for people with cancer have increased from 50 percent to 70 percent since the mid-70s

The bad news: For adults under 50, incidence rates are climbing nearly 3 percent per year (up from the 1 to 2 percent annual increase reported in the previous decade). Of greater concern is the fact that CRC is now the top cancer killer in that age group.

+

Friday Links

Posted on January 30, 2026January 30, 2026 by John C. Goodman

+

Thursday Links

Posted on January 29, 2026January 28, 2026 by John C. Goodman

MedPAC: the federal government is projected to spend 14%, or $76 billion, more on MA enrollees in 2026 than if they’d been in enrolled in fee for service. I have explained before why I think these projections are wrong.
How good is the Apple Watch at detecting hypertension?
“Lazarus Centers”: Many California hospices report survival rates of 100% for facilities that were meant to be for the end of life.
Sports and life expectancy:

A study from Denmark found that tennis players live almost 10 years longer than their sedentary peers. A US study found that cycling was linked to 3 percent lower risk of dying over a 12-year period, swimming was linked to a 5 percent lower risk and golf was linked to a 7 percent lower risk.

What these studies (or the people who tout them) ignore: reverse causation. People who are healthier play sports.

Population movement: New York and California are shrinking while Texas and Florida are getting steadily richer.

+

Wednesday Links

Posted on January 28, 2026January 27, 2026 by John C. Goodman

More than half of all Americans take vitamin supplements. (Bloomberg)
41 percent of Gen Z and 47 percent of millennials who are engaged or have been married said they entered a prenup.
The “prescribing cascade”: one drug causes side effects that doctors mistake for a new disease, triggering another prescription that creates its own problems, leaving people trapped in a sea of unnecessary and potentially harmful medications.
A growing body of quantitative research indicates that some school-based mental health interventions actually create mental health problems.
Why is the government under Trump investing so much money in so many private companies?
Hospital expenses per adjusted inpatient day vary widely across states and ownership types, with costs ranging from under $700 to more than $6,000.

+