- You have to be an American Indian who participates in religious ceremonies in order to legally use peyote.
- Inflation update: Lower-income households experienced higher 2024 inflation rates than higher-income groups, with the gap exceeding 70 basis points between the second and top income deciles.
- A “face test” does a better job than doctors at predicting cancer survival. (WSJ)
- You can take a selfie and determine your own biological age. (WSJ)
Category: Drug Prices & Regulations
Sunday Links
- Biden piles on last minute regulations.
- There is wide variation in low value care (e.g., PSA testing for men ages 75+) among the states.
- Medicare Advantage is disproportionately popular among Black, Hispanic, Asian and low-income enrollees.
- Homelessness reaches the highest level on record.
- Health insurer denial: a bionic arm for a little girl without a biological arm is medically unnecessary and is for cosmetic use only.
There Were Two Thalidomide Tragedies
View the two opening paragraphs of Charles L. Hooper and David R. Henderson, “Two Thalidomide Disasters.”
Are Pharmacy Closures a Tragedy of the Commons?
When I was a new student in political economy we learned about the tragedy of the commons. The example often used is communal pastureland that herdsmen use to feed their livestock. If pasture is overgrazed the grass dies, but if short grass stems are left to regrow someone else may let their sheep overgraze and the same result occurs.