I’m scheduled to go to the dentist later this week. Years ago, the Wall Street Journal wrote about a dental divide. I searched for the old link but could not find one. The divide is between aggressive dentists who perform more procedures and conservative dentists who recommend fewer treatments. As I recall, the article said that within the dental industry there is friction between the two factions, with little agreement about what constitutes honest, recommended care and what constitutes excessive treatment. Purportedly, even the American Dental Association does not want to weigh-in and take a stand on the topic. It’s up to each dentist to decide.
Category: Public Insurance
Tuesday Links
- California state health insurance to cover sex changes for illegal immigrants.
- Good news about the new Covid strain.
- 56% of the economically most impactful technologies come from just two U.S. locations: Silicon Valley and the Northeast Corridor.
- Book: There is a worldwide epidemic of diabetes and it has one cause: carbohydrates.
Saturday Links
- Sally Pipes on the House Republican health bill.
- The American prisoner/homicide ratio is about average for the First World, whereas the number of police per homicide is very low. Recommended
- Scientists discover a new tool to combat drug-resistant bacteria.
- Eli Lilly to sell its weight loss drug directly to patients.
- Biden gives federal workers a 5.2% pay raise. Social Security retirees are getting only 3.2% cost of living increase.
- Where are the new jobs? Health care and government work top the list.
Do Drug Company Donations Buy Influence? Probably
In the Summer of 2021 I wrote about a controversial new drug for Alzheimer’s Disease. The drug, Aduhelm, did not have a lot of evidence showing it worked. It did have plenty of data showing it came with an extensive list of nasty side effects, including brain swelling and brain bleeds. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved it despite the agency’s advisory panel of experts recommending against it. The decision was controversial, and several members of the advisory panel resigned in protest.