- Scott Atlas: what to expect for Medicare for All.
- Unemployment reduces fertility. UI compensation reverses the effect.
- Study: OxyContin marketing in 1996 is related to adverse long-term health outcomes over twenty-five years later.
- Brian J. Miller testimony: lawmakers should foster innovation in the medical field, to ensure the next generation of breakthrough technology reaches patients.
- Medicaid health plans denied physician’s pre authorization requests one out of every eight times — roughly two times the rate under Medicare Advantage.
- Yglesias: Banning background checks increases racial discrimination.
The Atlantic: What Happens When Hard Drugs Are Decriminalized
Today John Goodman posted the Danger of Drug Laws and the unintended consequences of making drug abuse illegal. Because drug abuse is illegal, illicit drug users don’t have the support system that medical pharmaceuticals have. For example, fentanyl has both legitimate medicinal uses and non-medical uses. It has a low therapeutic index when used for pain relief. That means it is inherently risky.
The Danger of Drug Laws
When governments try to stop people from consuming politically disfavored intoxicants, they make consumption of those substances more dangerous by creating a black market in which purity and potency are highly variable and unpredictable….
The alarm about xylazine in fentanyl, which compounds the danger of fatal respiratory depression and may increase the risk of serious and persistent skin infections, is just the latest illustration of this predictable peril.
Insured, But for How Long?
While 12.5% of individuals under 65 are uninsured at a point in time, twice as many—one in four—are uninsured at some point over a 2-y period. Moreover, the risk of losing insurance remained virtually unchanged with the introduction of the landmark ACA. Risk of insurance loss is particularly high for those with health insurance through Medicaid or private exchanges; they have a 20% chance of losing coverage at some point over a 2-y period, compared to 8.5% for those with employer-provided coverage.