The No Surprises Act has a dispute resolution mechanism to decide compensation for physicians who treat patients with whom they have no network affiliation. After treating insured patients, physicians and other providers bill health insurers, who pay, decline to pay or pay a reduced fee. If a physician believes the fees paid are too low, they have the option of taking the case to an independent dispute resolution (IDR) board for a fee.
Monday Links
- The politics of school closings during Covid: At the pandemic record high in December 2020—when vaccines were still not available—fewer than one-fifth of districts Trump won took the precaution of temporary closures; and until mid-March 2021, less than one-fifth of Biden districts were fully open.
- Against DEI in medical school.
- Fertility is falling below the replacement rate all over the world. But cross-sectioned by income, fertility is U-shaped. When I can find the time, I will give my own explanation for this.
- Ross Douthat: the left is unhappy. (NYT)
- My own thoughts: 20th century liberalism explained.
Saturday Links
- Landmark 15-year transgender study: Around one-in-10 children expressed “gender non-contentedness” to varying degrees. But by age 25, just one-in-25 (4 percent) said they “often” or “sometimes” were discontent with their gender.
- Illegal immigrants are leaving hospitals with billions in unpaid hospital bills.
- Was your operation performed by a doctor? Or by a medical student in training? And how do you really know?
- Only half of all adults are married. And that’s not good, because “Marriage predicts happiness better than education, work and money.” (NYT)
- NEJM in the 1930s: “When it did address Nazi ‘medical’ practices, the Journal enthusiastically praised German forced sterilization and the restrictive alcohol policies of the Hitler Youth.”
- More on why the 2017 tax cut was a good idea.
Oregon Recriminalizes Small Amounts of Hard Drugs, Admitting Decriminalization Failed
Measure 110 never worked well from the start. Last July I wrote state officials, advocates for drug reform laws and Oregon residents are left wondering whether Measure 110 needs small reforms, is merely experiencing growing pains or should be scrapped altogether. Also, one has to wonder if the tax revenue supporting treatment centers was supposed to mitigate the increase in drug use by making drug use less risky.