- An argument for mask wearing, even after the Cochrane Review meta-analysis.
- An early (and completely uncritical) history of medical licensing. To be paired with Regulation of Medical Care by moi — for balance.
- Why Daylight Savings Time matters: “The body releases sleep-time and wake-time hormones at a particular time.” Studies have shown that deadly car accidents, workplace injuries, and heart attacks increase following the springtime change.
- Should a face-to-face meeting be required before doctors prescribe a controlled substance for a patient?
- California to end Walgreens contract over abortion pills policy.
- What the Biden plan to “save” Medicare doesn’t do: repeal the Democrats’ IRA bill that takes $246 billion out of Medicare. (CBO p. 72)
Category: Consumer-Driven Health Care
Thursday Links
- Scott Atlas: How the experts got Covid science wrong.
- At least 2 in 5 U.S. adults said they are not willing to pay for 11 of the 12 preventive services currently required to be provided gratis by health insurance regulations. Since none of these services are cost effective for healthy people, that shows people are smarter than the politicians who imposed the regulation.
- The operational cleavage between the US public health and medical care systems inhibited our ability to contain the spread of COVID-19.
- A defense of Sharing health plans.
- On Biden’s plan to increase the Medicare net investment income tax from 3.8 to 5 percent for people earning over $400,000: A tax on capital is a tax on labor, including people who make a lot less than $400,000.
Is Medical Debt Bad? Sometimes; Sometimes Not
Millions of people struggle with medical indebtedness. Millions more are thought to forgo care or put off treatment, hoping to avoid medical bills. The nonprofit media, Kaiser Health News, published extensive surveys on medical debt in 2022. According to National Public Radio (NPR):
Tuesday Links
- Does lead in the air affect learning in school?
- Stephen Pinker: The development of artificial general intelligence is incoherent and not achievable.
- Increased access to physicians results in better health – at least in Nigeria.
- If the estimates from Statista Consumer Marketing Research are accurate, from 2020 to 2022 the world bought 928 billion masks at a cost of $389 billion — most of them made of plastic. I wonder how much of the plastic ended up in the ocean?
- Oops. The Inflation Reduction Act will increase taxes on millions of Americans earning less than $400,000, despite the president’s repeated promises not to do that. And that’s only for starters.