- 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: Health Economics & Costs
NBC News Investigation: Stingy Insurers Are Delaying, Denying Cancer Care
Tracy Pike was a 45-year-old father of three when he was diagnosed with Stage-4 stomach cancer. Chemotherapy reduced the size of his tumor, but his doctor recommended an aggressive treatment, combining surgery and intensive chemotherapy at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. His health insurer later denied the treatment…
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.”