- Does health care improve health? Scott Alexander contra Robin Hanson.
- Certificate of need (CON) laws still operate in 35 states.
- Why Medicare won’t pay for additional breast scans.
- Is the government hiding something about the “Havana Syndrome”?
- Why ACOs aren’t working.
- Cost of new regulations under Biden: $1.37 trillion.
FTC to Ban Noncompete Agreements. Will Your Doctor be Freed Too?
Nowadays nearly three-quarters of physicians are hospital employees or employed by investor-owned group practices. Many are bound by employment agreements that limit their ability to easily leave a job for a new one.
Thursday Links
- Commonwealth Fund finds major differences in health care inputs and outcomes across racial and ethnic groups. It completely ignores the role of genes.
- Earth Day good news: Over the past 60 years, GDP is up nearly 800% but emissions are down 60% even though we are still using record amounts of fossil fuels.
- New Guinea Prime Minister to Joe Biden: “We are not cannibals.”
- Joe Biden promised to never cut Medicare and “to stop” anyone who tries. He just cut benefits for 33 million enrollees in Medicare advantage.
Communities Eagerly Await Opioid Settlement Funds but Unsure How to Use Them
The Wall Street Journal reported on communities hard hit by the opioid epidemic, hoping settlement funds would mitigate the damage done by drug addiction. The Opioid Master Settlement Agreement was patterned after the tobacco settlements, except federal officials tried to structure the funds in such a way to avoid the money from being siphoned off for purposes unrelated to drug treatment.