Is being uninsured better than being on Medicaid? Apparently. (NRO Blog)
MRI scans of fruits and vegetables. (HT to Marginal Revolution)
Number of birds killed by the BP oil spill: at least 2,188 and counting. Number of birds killed by wind farms: 10,000-40,000 annually. (Alex Tabarrok at Marginal Revolution)
Massachusetts employers are dropping health coverage and sending employees to the exchange. Just as we predicted they would do.
A California city privatizes everything it does. Guess what? It works.
Medicare Part D causes a 63% increase in the number of annual prescriptions.” Effects on patient health: Zip. Zero. Nada. (NBER via Jason Shafrin)
Paul Samuelson’s prediction on what would happen when World War II ended: “There would be ushered in the greatest period of unemployment and industrial dislocation which any economy has ever faced.” (HT to David Henderson at Econlog)
The marshmallow test. It’s a simple test with impressive predictive power. (HT to Samuel Arbesman via Marginal Revolution)
75% of young Americans don’t expect Social Security benefits.
Can pharmacists replace doctors? Yes, say the pharmacists.
Doggie mansions. For people who want to pamper their pets, lavishly.
For adults: too many specialists, too few GPs. For children, it’s the reverse.
Obama to Judge: Health mandate is actually a tax.
Drug violence in Mexico has claimed more than 25,000 lives since 2006. That’s about half the number of Americans killed in the entire Vietnam War.
Study: Later start to school boosts teens’ health. Health? Well, okay, at least they felt better.
An egg is an egg. White, brown, organic, nonorganic — makes no difference.
Try not to be admitted to a hospital on the weekend. Your chances of dying in ICU are 8% higher.
What people know about bonobos: they have a lot of sex. What’s more interesting: They don’t kill each other.
Bad news from Massachusetts: Health costs are rising, emergency room use is rising, and plans to reform the reform are on hold. (HT to The Incidental Economist)
The onslaught begins: Free contraceptives may be required in mandated benefit package.
Is chocolate a mood food? Apparently.
European regulators: There is no evidence of any beneficial health effects from antioxidants. OK, but is that a reason to bar the word “antioxidant” from labels as prima facie health claims?
Spain to win the World Cup. British-born octopus, “Paul,” who lives in Germany and has picked the winner of every German game correctly this World Cup, went for Spain this time around (video).
Does a GED matter? Study: “GEDs are equivalent to uncredentialed dropouts in terms of their labor market outcomes and their general performance in society.” (HT to David Henderson)
Do children make you happy? Study: “The effect of children on the life satisfaction of married individuals is small, often negative, and never statistically significant.” (HT to Marginal Revolution)
