In my lifetime smoking has gone from something widely accepted and even cool to a lower status habit. According to the CDC, recognizing smoking as a health hazard and getting Americans to quit or cut back is one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th Century. A recent survey found smoking is something that only about 9% of Americans enjoy. That is the lowest on record.
Category: Consumer-Driven Health Care
Monday Links – 1 June 2026
- Health effects of double dipping.
- “The chance that there will be a pandemic that kills over 100 million people during the next century seems high, plausibly similar or greater than the risk of large-scale nuclear war or climate change above six degrees.”
- Trump’s attacks on small boats in the waters off South America have had no effect on the amount of cocaine in the US.
- What to know about the fight over raw milk.
- “The practice of “crating” pigs is torture, plain and simple.”
Friday Links – 29 May 2026
- The case for data centers.
- “Hundreds of firings, appointments, and re-appointments have yet to produce any meaningful public health reforms.”
- States get nearly seven times more federal funding for a $1 of spending on able-bodied, working-age adults than children, pregnant women, seniors, and the disabled.
- How airline travel could look like Uber car service.
Americans Need Better, More Affordable Health Coverage Options
If you step back and really think about it logically, health insurance is a colossal waste of money for most people. I’ve seen figures that claim that nearly 90% of Obamacare enrollees never reach their annual deductible in any given year. You spend about $7,000 per year, on average, to mitigate a risk that is statistically unlikely. Granted, insurance is supposed to be for things that are catastrophic but unlikely.