- Every generation thinks people were nicer in the past. But it’s not true.
- Evidence that colonoscopies aren’t worth it.
- Claim: Frenemies can be hazardous to your health. (NYT)
- Claim: Doctors are suffering from “moral injury.” (NYT)
- Biden claim: “real income for the bottom half of earners is up by 3.4% since I took office.” Reality: real income for the bottom 25% has fallen 2.3%, while the second income quartile has fallen 3.9%.
Category: Health Economics & Costs
Is Medicare Advantage the Answer to High Drug Costs?
Average annual deductibles in Part D prescription drug plans (PDPs) are roughly four times higher than those in Medicare Advantage drug plans (MA-PDs) ($398 versus $90). Average monthly premiums for PDPs are also roughly 3.5 times higher than in MA-PDPs ($40 versus $11). Similarly, MA-PDP formularies cover a higher share of potentially coverable Part D drugs than PDPs (89 percent compared to 83 percent). At the same time, MA-PDPs impose utilization management requirements (such as prior authorization and quantity limits) on formulary covered drugs at a lower rate, relative to PDPs.
Saturday Links
- Neil Ferguson’s infamous Imperial College London model predicted lockdowns would avoid 1.7 to 2.1 million COVID deaths. A new study finds the actual reduction in COVID deaths associated with lockdowns was 4,300 to 15,600.
- A positive obituary for Silvio.
- The left hates home schooling.
- Can noise reduce your life expectancy?
- Is most mental illness little more than socially disapproved preferences? Byron Caplan: Yes. Arnold Kling: No.
- The danger in exercising too much.
Update on Britain’s National Health Service
In May over half a million people waited more than 4 hours in A&E. Not much more than a decade ago that number was negligible. Tens of thousands are waiting 12 hours or more. There can be no doubt this is killing many thousands of people. Excess mortality in 2023 is running above the 5 year average, which includes the pandemic years.
Sam Freedman, “How Bad Does It Need to Get? Understanding the NHS Crisis.”