Health Insurance – Page 2 – The Goodman Institute Health Blog

Tuesday links – 7 July 2026

Posted on July 7, 2026July 6, 2026 by John C. Goodman

“From the 1943–1947 birth cohort onward … a pronounced divergence emerges: individuals with right-wing political orientations maintaining fertility at or above replacement level, whereas fertility among left-wing individuals declines sharply to well below replacement.”
Latest report on SNAP for FY 2025: $10 billion in improper payments.
JD Vance rejecting Friedman and Thatcher?
Quote of the day:

“If almost a million Americans won’t even pay $1 monthly to enroll in an Exchange plan, what does that say about how they perceive the value (or lack thereof) of Obamacare?”

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Shared Housing is a Solution to Old Age Retirement Lodging

Posted on July 3, 2026July 2, 2026 by Devon Herrick

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.

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Friday Links – 3 July 2026

Posted on July 3, 2026July 2, 2026 by John C. Goodman

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.

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Are Mental Health Chatbots a Good Thing? It Depends

Posted on July 2, 2026July 1, 2026 by Devon Herrick

The Wall Street Journal reports that mental health chatbots are replacing therapists without any scientific evidence behind them. The writer provides an anecdote about a psychology student, Eri Petherbridge, who sees a therapist three times a week. The therapist suggested she talk to a chatbot between visits.

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