- In 2023, more than 41,000 Americans over 65 died from falls. Could prescriptions be the reason?
- MedPAC: Medicare Advantage growth hasn’t hurt hospital profits.
- The EU is a long way from internal free trade.
- HHS withdraws report than links moderate drinking to cancer. A completing report says that moderate drinking is healthier than not drinking. (NYT)
- Investors are betting that wealthy people will pay a lot to extend their life expectancy. (WSJ)
Obesity is a Bigger Problem than Hunger, Even Among the Poor
I am going to make a bold statement that always seems to draw criticism whenever I have mentioned it: hunger is no longer a problem in the United States. Hunger, when it exists, is merely a symptom of other problems. Today hunger and malnutrition are symptoms of child neglect, drug abuse, dementia, disability and mental illness. In fact, obesity is a bigger problem among the poor than hunger.
Wednesday Links
- At least 14 of today’s billionaires got their start by working at a fast-food restaurant.
- A review of 27 studies finds that even two drinks before bed disrupts REM sleep.
- So far in 2025, the economy has added an average of about 74,000 private-sector jobs a month. Roughly 64,000 of those jobs were in health services. (WSJ)
- Roland Fryer: We already know how to make schools effective. We’re just not doing it. (WSJ)
- Are we already in a recession?
Tuesday Links
- A new explanation for the Black/White wealth gap: public housing.
- Democrats should shut down the government: Matt Yglesias at Bloomberg and Ezra Klein in the New York Times.
- HHS to expand access to catastrophic plans in the exchanges. ($9,200 deductibles)
- Over the past twenty years, US real GDP grew at a 2.0% annual rate. In the twenty prior years, – real GDP grew at a 3.2% annual rate. The difference: the growth of government.