- Gingrich and Jindal on the House GOP HSA bills.
- 96% of CDC’s COVID boosters for kids are still unused.
- From Michael Cannon’s new book: A 2016 study found that Medicare paid low-quality hospitals an average of $2,698 more per patient than it paid high-quality hospitals.
- Cato study: decriminalizing prostitution decrease the incidence of rape.
- International surveys show that wealthier is happier – but not always. The average Costa Rican is just as happy as the average American.
A Bogus Way to Reduce Medical Debt
I’ve written about medical debt in the past, explaining that not all medical debt is bad. However, medical debt is growing due to Obamacare. I’ve also explained that medical debt has many causes and it’s not always a lack of money. People sometimes refuse to pay because they think their bill is wrong (it often is). Or patients don’t pay outstanding bills because they believe their health plan is liable for the balance. This is just my opinion, but I suspect some outstanding medical debts are because patients think the bill is unfair.
Wednesday Links
- Dental insurance isn’t really insurance – it’s a discount service.
- A 20-year-old research paper with lasting relevance asks: Why are people getting fatter? Answer: they are eating too much.
- Is there a nursing shortage or is there a shortage of nurses providing care? And what’s the difference?
- Obese patients are often excluded from drug trials. Is that a mistake?
- After looting CVS, Target and other stores, what do thieves do with the loot? They set up shop on the sidewalk across the street and sell them. DC has made that easier by decriminalizing street vending.
Tuesday Links
- Gene therapy holds great promise. Employer paid health insurance is capable of paying for it.
- Why Sudafed might work despite the science: it’s called the placebo effect. (NYT)
- Was the RSV vaccine developed by experimenting on poor Black children? (NYT)
- Quote of the day by Arnold Kling:
This is a moment of choosing for the American left. Many will side with Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib. That could damage the Progressive brand. It deserves to be damaged.