A Health Economist to lead the NIH

By SAURABH JHA Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic a seroprevalence study from Santa Clara indicated that the viral spread was far greater than was believed. The study suggested that the infection fatality rate (IFR) was much lower than the case fatality rate and perhaps even lower than the suspected IFR. The researchers estimated that…

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What Happens When Insurance Companies Become More Powerful Than Medicine?

By MATTHEW ZACHARY The American healthcare system behaves exactly as its incentives tell it to behave. That sentence sounds almost boring until you follow it to its logical conclusion. Insurance companies now influence clinical decisions more aggressively than many physicians. They shape hospital consolidation. They determine startup viability. They influence venture capital allocation. They dictate…

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