Very interesting on generics. We’re told over and over again that generic drugs are just as good as brand name equivalents. But I’ve always suspected that it’s not always true.
Mr. Kristof was more than over the top: He was completely out of control, aided and abetted by a couple of public-health advocates whom he quoted.
“Americans live shorter lives than Greeks, our kids are twice as likely to die by age 5 as Portuguese children, and American women are 11 times as likely to die in childbirth as women in Ireland.”
What the heck does this have to do with swine flu, or any communicable disease? Way back in the ancient, pre-swine flu, world (until about a week ago), the herd of independent minds kept whacking us over the head with the talking point that 70% or so of health spending is due to chronic illness, so the government needs to control more of what we eat, what we do for exercise, our smoking and drinking, etc.
Well, now that swine flu has pushed obesity off the front page, we have a different “problem” but the same “solution”: more government.
By the way, half of U.S. childbirths are paid for by the state (Medicaid), so it’s exceedingly difficult to blame private health care for poor maternal health statistics.
Very interesting on generics. We’re told over and over again that generic drugs are just as good as brand name equivalents. But I’ve always suspected that it’s not always true.
It looks like the comparisons were between brand-name drugs that were still under patent, and generics in the same family but not identical.
Kristof is over the top. So much so that you wonder about his reporting from all over the world in places where it’s hard to double check his facts.
Mr. Kristof was more than over the top: He was completely out of control, aided and abetted by a couple of public-health advocates whom he quoted.
“Americans live shorter lives than Greeks, our kids are twice as likely to die by age 5 as Portuguese children, and American women are 11 times as likely to die in childbirth as women in Ireland.”
What the heck does this have to do with swine flu, or any communicable disease? Way back in the ancient, pre-swine flu, world (until about a week ago), the herd of independent minds kept whacking us over the head with the talking point that 70% or so of health spending is due to chronic illness, so the government needs to control more of what we eat, what we do for exercise, our smoking and drinking, etc.
Well, now that swine flu has pushed obesity off the front page, we have a different “problem” but the same “solution”: more government.
By the way, half of U.S. childbirths are paid for by the state (Medicaid), so it’s exceedingly difficult to blame private health care for poor maternal health statistics.