In no particular order:
■ Coming as a surprise to no one who's been paying attention:
"A quarter of firms that that had offered insurance to their employees last year were canceling their health plans this year, and another 25% said they planned to do so next year."
This in Michigan, and focused on smaller companies not (yet) subject to the Employer Mandate. Talk about blizzards...
■ Could treating Alzheimer's really be this simple?
"Researchers say they’ve developed a nasal spray that could potentially improve memory and other mental capabilities for the more than 5 million Americans suffering from Alzheimer’s disease."
It's still a long way off (and currently being tested only on those with mild cases), but sounds promising.
■ Almost 5 years ago, we wrote about a "Lifespan Calculator:" an online widget that purported to predict how many days one had left. It appears that the technology is improving:
"A test to determine if elderly patients will die within 30 days of being admitted to hospital has been developed by doctors to give them the chance to go home or say goodbye to loved ones."
Corrected for accuracy:
"A test to determine if elderly patients will die within 30 days of being admitted to hospital has been developed by doctors to encourage them onto the Liverpool Pathway."
There, better.
■ But hey, "middle class:"
"I’m sorry sir,” the polite Healthcare.gov customer-service agent said. “There’s nothing I can do. You’re either going to have to enroll in Medicaid or you’re going to have to pay the full health-insurance rate.”
The problem, of course, is that the gentleman in question had the misfortune to fall within the one category for which the ObamaTax was supposed to work, but never quite has. As a grad student, he wasn't worried about his next BMW, but neither was he worried about his next meal. Couple that with the problem that, if one is eligible for Medicaid one is not eligible for a subsidy, and one begins to see the problem.
I really like the author's take on this, by the way: "Call me crazy, but in my book Medicaid is a last resort, not a first option."
It's so easy to forget that this is no game, no theory; it hurts real people, every day.
■ Coming as a surprise to no one who's been paying attention:
"A quarter of firms that that had offered insurance to their employees last year were canceling their health plans this year, and another 25% said they planned to do so next year."
This in Michigan, and focused on smaller companies not (yet) subject to the Employer Mandate. Talk about blizzards...
■ Could treating Alzheimer's really be this simple?
"Researchers say they’ve developed a nasal spray that could potentially improve memory and other mental capabilities for the more than 5 million Americans suffering from Alzheimer’s disease."
It's still a long way off (and currently being tested only on those with mild cases), but sounds promising.
■ Almost 5 years ago, we wrote about a "Lifespan Calculator:" an online widget that purported to predict how many days one had left. It appears that the technology is improving:
"A test to determine if elderly patients will die within 30 days of being admitted to hospital has been developed by doctors to give them the chance to go home or say goodbye to loved ones."
Corrected for accuracy:
"A test to determine if elderly patients will die within 30 days of being admitted to hospital has been developed by doctors to encourage them onto the Liverpool Pathway."
There, better.
■ But hey, "middle class:"
"I’m sorry sir,” the polite Healthcare.gov customer-service agent said. “There’s nothing I can do. You’re either going to have to enroll in Medicaid or you’re going to have to pay the full health-insurance rate.”
The problem, of course, is that the gentleman in question had the misfortune to fall within the one category for which the ObamaTax was supposed to work, but never quite has. As a grad student, he wasn't worried about his next BMW, but neither was he worried about his next meal. Couple that with the problem that, if one is eligible for Medicaid one is not eligible for a subsidy, and one begins to see the problem.
I really like the author's take on this, by the way: "Call me crazy, but in my book Medicaid is a last resort, not a first option."
It's so easy to forget that this is no game, no theory; it hurts real people, every day.
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