Right to try: The main obstacle is not government; it’s the drug companies.
Covid fact: For people under 25, Covid was less deadly than traffic accidents.
Additional fact: the Asian death rate was about half the white rate, one-third the black rate, and one-fourth the Hispanic rate. (Rough estimates)
Why is the Covid death rate in Australia one-tenth of the U.S. level?
Colorado woman Lisa French had back surgery in 2014. The admissions clerk at the hospital, St. Anthony North, mistakenly estimated her cost-sharing at $1,337. What the hospital clerk failed to realize was the hospital was out-of-network. Because the hospital was out of network it was not bound by a negotiated rate for the surgery. The hospital could bill at its so-called chargemaster rates, which are often two to three times typical rates health plans negotiate with in-network providers.
This is Michael Cannon (gated):
In 2014 … the Obama administration exempted health insurance in American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Marianas Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands from those regulations. Subsequent administrations have preserved this exemption.
If [Florida] lawmakers pass a law recognizing insurance licenses from U.S. territories, Florida consumers and employers could purchase individual or group plans from insurers in Puerto Rico or any other U.S. territory.
Many established health insurers already do business in the territories, including Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Humana and BlueCross BlueShield — each of which already has provider networks in Florida.
Opening Florida’s market would improve the quality and cost of health insurance. Floridians could save 50% or more on their plans.
America has just passed 1 million deaths from Covid-19. The death toll globally may have surpassed 15 million, according to the World Health Organization. That sounds bad and for the families and loved ones of those who have died it is horrendous. However, it could have been far worse. For those who contracted Covid-19 (as I have) it kills only about 0.7 percent of the people it infects. The most susceptible are those individuals with pre-existing conditions, the elderly, the frail, etc.