- Eight of the 25 major work stoppages involving 1,000 workers in 2022 were initiated by health care workers.
- Of the $586 billion spent on drugs in 2021, more than 30% ($179 billion) was captured by intermediaries such as PBMs.
- Chris Pope: America actually has five health care systems.
- An old essay that’s worth rereading: “How doctors Die.” HT: Richard Hanania.
- What its liked to be a nurse in the British NHS.
- Is there a religious (pre-Christian) argument for Canadian Euthanasia? (Ross Douthat in the NYT)
Category: Public Insurance
Article on Health Care Prices Goes Off the Rails
Have you ever noticed that liberal news outlets can trip over the facts and fail to see their relevance? Even in the rare event they stumble onto relevant facts they draw the wrong conclusions. CNBC just discovered (nearly 60 years after economists warned of the danger) that health insurance may have resulted in higher heath care prices. In the article, “How health insurance may have made health care more expensive,” the reporter quotes a variety of health policy analysts. Dr. Kongstvedt, an expert she interviewed, gave her all the information she needs to know.
Health Plans Now Required to Provide Price Comparison Tools and Transparency
As of January 1st insurers and health plans are required to provide online tools to help enrollees estimate the cost of common medical services and procedures. As an aside, a future iteration of the law should also discourage medical professionals who work in hospitals or large practices controlled by private equity from only referring inside their systems without giving patients an opportunity to use the tools to shop elsewhere. I’ve never had a problem with doctors steering me to hospital-based services. Yet, I’ve heard horror stories about doctors being compensated or punish based on so-called keepage and leakage. This from Kaiser Health News:
CA Lawsuit Seeks to Enforce Ban on Corporate Practice of Medicine
Private equity investors have been buying up thousands of health care businesses across the country. This includes everything from dermatology practices, to gastroenterology, to air ambulance services. If you seek care at an emergency room, there is a good chance that you will be treated by a physician employed by a staffing firm backed by private equity. Physicians…