- The Biden administration has given the Palestinians more than $1 billion, following the Trump freeze on aid.
- Kaiser: Employer provided family coverage now costs almost $24,000.
- United Health discontinues an AI-type algorithm it was using to deny patients care.
- Bidenomics: The typical white family’s real income rose 1.3%, between 2019 and 2022. But Black and Hispanic families saw declines of 1.6% and 1.1%, respectively.
Category: Health Reform
Is Dental Coverage a Bad Deal? Probably… and That’s a Good Thing
It has been 15 years since I had dental insurance through work. At the time my dental coverage cost $34 a month and had a $250 deductible. It provided one free teeth cleaning per year with routine dental care paid at 85%. Oral surgery, crowns and root canal procedures were covered at 50%. The maximum benefit was $2,500 a year as I recall. My dentist wouldn’t even take it. The next year I dropped coverage because it wasn’t worth the $408 annual cost.
Monday Links
- Insurers have made out like bandits under Obamacare.
- Paragon study: The cost to the taxpayers of Obamacare is $36,798 per additional private insurance enrollee.
- The leader of Hamas is headquartered in Qatar – the same country that hosted the World Cup.
- Tyler Cowen (channeling the Economist) on why Argentina may elect a libertarian president.
- Who is better at keeping food safe? Public health agencies? Or the restaurants themselves?
- Reducing hospital costs without hurting patients.
NYT: Are Supervised Drug-Use Facilities the Answer to Drug Overdoses?
Let’s assume there is a risky product, of which the government wants to discourage consumption. The good is dangerous, not infrequently killing people accidentally. The substance is of dubious quality, highly regulated yet poorly made and inconsistent. The products within this category are mislabeled, misbranded and often adulterated with harmful chemicals and other additives. Yet, these goods are popular among some people, becoming habit forming both psychological and physiological. The goods are blamed for social ills, including crime, homelessness, shiftlessness, poor health and even death. How should government discourage consumption of products like this? I’m talking about illegal drugs of course.