There is a conspiracy of sorts to learn everything possible about you and sell your information to those who may profit from it. That information includes information about your health concerns. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was supposed to make personal health information confidential. We’ve all likely experienced being told by a doctor’s office staff they can’t receive email because it could possibly violate HIPAA, since a third party may be able to intercept it. (I’m not sure why the fax machine is seemingly exempt.) Yet, despite these precautions there is a thriving business in personal health data.
States with the Most Restrictive Covid Measures Appear to Have Made Things Worse
- States with severe government interventions did not significantly improve health outcomes compared to states with more restrained approaches.
- This may be partly because government interventions appear to have increased excess mortality from non-COVID health conditions.
- Severe government interventions were strongly correlated with worse economic (increased unemployment and decreased GDP) and educational (fewer days of in-person schooling) outcomes.
- The economic and education damage was most severe for lower-income families and children.
Monday Links
- Love explained: oxytocin is the “love hormone.”
- Fewer Americans are getting Married. “Family formation is a new fault line in the American class structure.”
- The odds of your outliving your life expectancy are quite good. (WSJ)
- Health effects of an icy plunge: increased risk of hypothermia, arrhythmias, and heart attacks; but possible help with mental clarity, depression, pain management, and weight loss. (NYT)
- Do safer football helmets and better padding induce players to engage in more reckless behavior on the field?
Montana Considers Expanding Scope of Practice for Physician Assistants
A few days ago I wrote about that Montana is considering expanding pharmacists’ dispensing authority without a physician’s prescription. The following is what I wrote: