We have entered the era of consumer genetics. "At one end of the price range you can get a complete sequence and analysis of your genome from Knome for $99,500. At the other you can get a sample of traits, disease risks and ancestry data from 23andMe for $399."
Hawaii Blue Cross discovers email. Even if you're not enrolled you can consult with a doctor: $45 per 10-minute visit.
Half of antibiotic prescriptions still go to people with viral illnesses. But antibiotics don't kill viruses, only bacteria.
Brave new world baby. Born without the cancer gene.
I like what Hawaii Blue Cross is doing. They are not just adding on one more benefit, with an artificial price. They are also creating a service they are selling to the marketplace. They are doing what John Goodman has been saying providers generally should be able to do: They are repackaging and repricing doctor services.
There was a great piece in Sunday’s New York Times Magazine by Stephen Pinker on mapping the human genome — what we know, what we don’t know and what we can do about it.
Use of antibiotics is one of those cases of a pure negative externality. Every time anyone of us takes a pill we reduce the effectiveness of that drug for everyone else.