Hospitals are the worst place to receive care if there are any other choices. Hospital prices are far higher than the same services available elsewhere. I often tell the story of my wife unknowingly checking on getting a CT scan at a hospital outpatient facility. She discovered that her share of the cost was going to be $2,700. That wasn’t the price; that was just her share of the cost. The price was higher. I quickly found a free-standing radiology clinic willing to do the same procedure for $403. Why was it lower? It wasn’t that one CT scanner was better than the other. It was that one was at the hospital where prices are always higher.
Category: Policy & Legislation
More States Pass Medical Conscience Bills
A new law in Montana, dubbed Medical Conscience Objection Laws, will provide sweeping protections for medical professionals who do not want to participate in or provide some types of medical care due to conscience.
Monday Links
- How exactly do social determinants of health determine health? (Unconvincing to me.)
- There is no big rise in teenage suicide rates in the US. The increase is concentrated in people over 19.
- Is HHS headquarters the ugliest buildering Washington DC?
- Over 37 million Americans have diabetes (including those who are undiagnosed) and nearly 100 million have prediabetes. That’s more than one-third of the country.
- Correcting the record: seniors have a lot more retirement income than is typically reported.
- Correcting another record: The SAT is a strong predictor of college success, period. Even in grad school, where grades are notoriously inflated, entrance exams are strong predictors of success. HT: Tyler
- Studies: Social media is not changing people’s political views.
Nature: Many Clinical Trials Fake Data
Did that drug you just took flunk its clinical trial? How about the course of treatment your doctor just recommended? Of course, you don’t know that because you have faith in the regulatory bodies, academic journals and researchers to be both competent and honest. And, of course, you know nothing of the perverse incentives to…