Around 76 million Baby Boomers have reached retirement age. All along life’s journey, whenever Baby Boomers have encountered a new phase of life, they stressed institutions, forcing them to expand to accommodate the biggest American cohort in history. Many seniors will enter retirement, lacking the resources they should have saved over a lifetime. Some will retire early at age 62.5, lowering their Social Security monthly income. Many retired after job losses. Then there is senior housing. All will need somewhere to live.
Category: Health Economics & Costs
Friday Links – 3 July 2026
- The average silver plan deductible this year is $5,304.
- Doctors can change the color of your eyes. (Cost: $12,000)
- Less developed countries can ignore patent law, reverse engineer patented drugs and make them available – even to visitors from developed countries. (NYT)
- Chemotherapy drugs in short supply are being rationed.
- The “Fiscal Democracy Index” measures the share of revenues remaining after accounting for the mandatory spending and interest costs imposed by past Congresses. In the early to mid-1960s, the index stood at over 60 percent. Today, the index has fallen to zero.
Thursday Links – 2 July 2026
- Solution to welfare fraud: Adopt a “Do Not Pay” approach instead of the current system of “Pay and Chase.”
- Almost 30% of young adults lack a regular doctor.
- Are we being cruel to pigs?
- Americans make up nearly half of the world’s new millionaires.
- ACA enrollment down by 3 million.
- The largest Medicaid fraud takedown in DOJ History: 295 defendants and over $518 million in false claims.
Heat Kills More Europeans Annually Than American Deaths from Gun Violence
If you watched YouTube this past month you have no doubt seen reaction videos of Europeans visiting the United States for the World Cup soccer match. The games were not the highlight of the videos. The topic that caused the videos to go viral was the reaction to American culture, including the size of stores like Buc-ees, Costco, Walmart, and Bass Pro Shop, and the portion size at restaurants. European experiencing Texas barbeque for the first time was a hot topic, as was air conditioning. It is currently sweltering in Europe, and it was relatively hot in the Southern U.S. the past several weeks. Europeans appreciated the use of air conditioning, including inside some arenas.