- Low income, large debts cause stress. They needed a poll to know this?
- Two-thirds of patients have never challenged the accuracy of a medical bill.
- Reason for the Adderall shortage: government. (NYT)
- What great thinkers seem to agree on: Walking is good. (NYT)
- Can electricity improve the functioning of the brain? (NYT)
FTC Wants to Ban Noncompete Employment Agreements
I know a doctor who relocated to a small town after being recruited to join a new practice. He sold his house, bought a new one and uprooted his family for a move 150 miles away. It turned out that it was not a lucrative move. His schedule was quickly filled with Medicare patients, most of whom required 30-minute visits due to multiple chronic conditions. He remarked that his pediatrician colleague could see two or three privately insured patients during the time it took him to see one (lower paying) Medicare patient. His income fell far below expectations and he decided to get out.
Monday Links
- Why diet when you can take a pill?
- AEI study: In Utah, nearly 100% of children leave foster care within three years, while in Illinois, less than half do.
- Sex life of turtles.
- Health Affairs study: HHS reduction in Medicare Advantage payments will cause $60 per year premium increase per beneficiary, small copay increases, and increases of about $27 in annual deductibles.
- Can robots replace caregivers for the elderly? (NYT)
Lack of Compensation is Why Donor Organs are Scarce
The system for organ donation in the United States does not work well. About 3.5 million people die in the U.S. each year and many are potential organ donors. Yet, there are thousands of people on waiting lists for donor organs and thousands die waiting every year. According to the Washington Post: