Starting today Americans will be able to legally buy hearing aids over the counter (OTC). Granted, there were a few already available before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations were announced. However, big-name electronics manufacturers held out until the FDA issued its Final Rule. In the interim between when the law was passed and when the FDA promulgated regulations, legacy purveyors of prescription hearing aids lobbied behind the scenes in hopes of hobbling OTC competition.
Category: Health Reform
Monday Links
- Is watching Fox News bad for your health? (Covid vaccination rates are lower)
- Scott Sumner: the 21st century is suffering from a spate of nationalism.
- Opponents of telemedicine strike back: “Over the past year, nearly 40 states and Washington, D.C., have ended emergency declarations that made it easier for doctors to use video visits to see patients in another state.”
- Study: Too little sleep makes people stingy.
The Pros and Cons of Telemental and Online Mental Health Counseling
Telemedicine got a tremendous boost during Covid when Americans were isolating in their homes and many doctors were afraid to see patients face-to-face. In addition, many people were stressed from social isolation with kids attending schools online while parents tried to work from home. As a result, mental health services also went online. Experts are…
Friday Links
- Even though drugs can be a highly effective therapy, most states prohibit psychologists from prescribing medications for their mental health patients.
- Pandemic spending waste: only one quarter of the jobs supported by PPP funds would have disappeared without the program and the funds rarely reached their intended target of rank-and-file workers.
- Paragon report: Medicaid now has more than 15 million ineligible recipients.
- New medical tech claim: a complete genome mapping for$100.
- How that could change medicine.
- Progressive Caucus wants to change the name of Medicare Advantage to curtail its popularity.