Cost of Healthcare – Page 371 – The Goodman Institute Health Blog

Wednesday Links

Posted on June 14, 2023June 13, 2023 by John C. Goodman

Deaths in local jails due to drug or alcohol intoxication in 2019 was the highest recorded in 20 years. Drugs? Alcohol? In jail?
Yglesias completely loses it over Donald Trump. And he’s not alone.
The downside of prior authorization: A survey of more than 1,000 physicians found that 93% reported care delays and more than 50% said prior authorizations led to treatment abandonment because of patient hardships navigating the prior authorization process
Quote of the week: DeSantis on Larry Fink:

“Who do these people think they are that they govern our society? Nobody voted for him. And so, our mantra in Florida is no economic or social transformation without representation. These are policies that could not win at the ballot box, and so they’re trying to do through corporate America what they can’t do in the electoral process.”

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Tuesday Links

Posted on June 13, 2023June 13, 2023 by John C. Goodman

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Covid Grifters: Covid Relief Fraud Much Worse than Initially Thought

Posted on June 12, 2023 by Devon Herrick

Covid-19 relief aid was the greatest opportunity for graft in the nation’s history. The Associated Press called it The Great Grift, saying:

Fraudsters used the Social Security numbers of dead people and federal prisoners to get unemployment checks. Cheaters collected those benefits in multiple states. And federal loan applicants weren’t cross-checked against a Treasury Department database that would have raised red flags about sketchy borrowers.

Criminals and gangs grabbed the money. But so did a U.S. soldier in Georgia, the pastors of a defunct church in Texas, a former state lawmaker in Missouri and a roofing contractor in Montana.

All of it led to the greatest grift in U.S. history, with thieves plundering billions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief aid intended to combat the worst pandemic in a century and to stabilize an economy in free fall.

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Low Cost Dentistry is Possible, But Not Allowed in Most States

Posted on June 11, 2023June 11, 2023 by Devon Herrick

I went to my dentist a month or two ago. I was shocked by the price for a deep teeth cleaning. A teeth cleaning is included with an annual membership and the deep cleaning is an upcharge from the basic cleaning. I suspect my dentists requires a deep cleaning as a way to charge as much for my free service as the service usually costs retail. I’m in and out of his office in less than 30 minutes usually.

At my last visit the annual membership fee was also due, so my total bill was enough to buy an iPhone 11 on eBay. I don’t think I even spoke to the dentist during the visit; I just met with the dental hygienist. Why was the price so high?

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