- New Zealand adopts affirmative action for its medical waiting lists.
- Governments around the world have spent $1.34 trillion to fight climate change.
- Is virtual care the answer for Obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure in seniors?
- It’s a cocktail after cocktails: an IV drip for hangovers. (NYT)
- Hot dog eating contests: scientists have determined that the human body is capable of eating — at most — 83 hot dogs in 10 minutes.
- Drinking alcohol before or after intense exercise isn’t advised. (NYT)
- Mark Cuban Cost Pus Drugs to sell biosimilars ($569 v. $6,922 for Yusimry)
Author: John C. Goodman
Supreme Court Justice Tells a Whopper
“For high-risk Black newborns, having a Black physician more than doubles the likelihood that the baby will live.”
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson
Thursday Links
- Judge’s free speech ruling was prompted by Fauci’s attempt to silence lockdown critics.
- Outgoing CDC Director Rochelle Walensky warns we should beware of politicized science and misinformation. But, no mea culpa?
- A quarter of all Americans have not yet been infected by Covid.
- AI in health: Who gets paid? Who gets sued? AI has already been used in diagnosing dementia, heart attacks, lung cancer, and pancreatic cancer.
- Prof. Kotlikoff explains the difference between the economist’s approach to personal financial planning and the conventional approach.
- Casey Mulligan study: Biden regulations are costing $10,000 per US household.
How Medicare Advantage Plans Cover Drugs
Average annual deductibles in independent prescription drug plans (PDPs) are roughly four times higher than those in Medicare Advantage plans (MA-PDs) ($398 versus $90). Average monthly premiums for PDPs are also roughly 3.5 times higher than in MA-PDPs ($40 versus $11). Similarly, MA-PDP formularies cover a higher share of potentially coverable Part D drugs than PDPs (89 percent compared to 83 percent). At the same time, MA-PDPs impose utilization management requirements (such as prior authorization and quantity limits) on formulary covered drugs at a lower rate, relative to PDPs.
Source: Benedic N. Ippolito and Boris Vabson, The Impact Of Medicare Advantage Growth On Part D Competition, Costs, and Coverage. (AEI)