- Bob Graboyes: Free the nurses
- Bernie Sanders gets something right: nonprofit hospitals are getting undeserved tax breaks.
- The uneasy case for the government’s war on pain killers.
- WSJ: Americans have earlier access to new treatments than the rest of the world.
- AEI article: Less than 15 percent of the average physician’s time is spent in direct contact with patients. It’s no wonder that two-thirds of physicians are burned out.
- The presence of chief diversity officers in K-12 schools leads to lower test scores among black and Hispanic students and wider achievement gaps between minorities and white students.
Thousands of Knee Replacements Failed Prematurely, Manufacturer Knew about Problem for Years
Implanted hips and knees don’t last forever. Surgeons try to schedule them in such a way that patients who get implants won’t need another, but there is no guarantee. For example, patients in their 60s are often advised to hold out for a few years so they won’t need a second hip or knee replacement in their 80s. A rule of thumb is that an implanted hip or knee should be good for at least 15 to 20 years, and possibly longer. A study in The Lancet found that knee implants were still good after 10 years in 96% of patients, and still working after 20 years in 90% of patients. Another study found more than 80% of knee replacements last 25 years or more.
Wednesday Links
- Tyler Cowen on an early study by Claudia Goldin explaining inequality: returns to education is the culprit.
- Case and Deaton: Life expectancy at age 25 for those with four-year college degrees rose to 59 years on the eve of the pandemic, up from 54 years in 1992. But for those without college degrees, life expectancy reached its peak around 2010 and has been falling ever since. (NYT)
- Matt Yglesias rejects the Case/Deaton argument for “deaths of despair.”
- 20 percent of adolescents had symptoms of major depressive disorder during the pandemic, but less than half got treatment.
- 45% of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee have conflicts of interest. That may be why the government published the food pyramid that caused so many people to get fat.
The World is Getting Safer
A graph you don’t tend to see in the mainstream media. Thanks to the Committee to Unleash Prosperity for the pointer.