We have all had physicians suggest an x-ray, blood test or other screening test during an office visit. It is important for patients to have a personal physician who they can consult for routine health matters. However, increasingly entrepreneurs are offering direct-to-consumer health screenings without visiting your doctor.
Category: Medicare
Obamacare at Age 12
Would anyone buy an Obamacare plan without a huge subsidy? For people not getting a subsidy, if you combine the average premium and the average deductible last year, they had to pay $25,000 before getting any benefits from the plan. Narrow provider networks exclude the best doctors and the best hospitals. The relationship between buyer…
Friday Links
Telemedicine is being used for assisted dying.
Why was a Texas woman charged with murder over a self-induced abortion?
Will 10,000 steps a day make you healthier? No. 7,000 steps seems to get the job done.
Why do companies invest in finding drugs to treat rare diseases?
How did the Middle Ages respond to the Back Death? With price controls and more. (recommended)
Why do nursing homes suck? It’s mostly government’s fault
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine just released a 600-page report on problems found in nursing homes. Among the complaints were mediocre quality, too little investment in quality improvement, inadequate staffing levels, poorly trained staff, staff shortages due to low pay and inadequate funding sources. With 77 million Baby Boomers approaching old age, it is likely there will not be enough long-term care facilities to meet their needs. In addition, nursing homes are expensive and unaffordable for most Americans who lack long term care coverage.