Tag Archives: cancer

Science and Other News

Rejecting the Vaccine Gifthorse

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Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, with 500,000 new cases each year worldwide and 274,000 annual deaths.  In the US, there are 12,000 new cases a year and 3,600 deaths – better than the international rate because of extensive Pap smear testing.  New vaccines are able to prevent about 70% of these cancers and millions of young American women are taking advantage of the opportunity.  The payoff is attractive: the social cost is from $30,000 to $70,000 per year of life saved in the developed world.  If the price comes down, these vaccines could "revolutionize women's health" in developing countries, particularly Africa.

A front page story on this spectacular medical development appears in The New York Times, running to almost two full inside pages.  The article is filled with….celebration?….no criticism!….of many things….but mainly of drug companies for marketing the vaccines and …..(are you ready?)….ACTUALLY MAKING A PROFIT.

The Times should focus next on childhood vaccines, where federal policy has squeezed all profit out of the market, where there is no promotion or marketing, and where the vaccination rates are abysmally low – even where the procedure is free.

See the NCPA Brief Analysis on this.

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Obama Update.  For more than a year, Senator Obama has said he will pay for health reform by repealing Bush “tax cuts for the rich.”  Now, Obama economic advisors in a Wall Street Journal editorial are hedging on that threat.  The tax rate on capital gains and dividends will go no higher than 20%.  What about increasing payroll taxes on the rich?  Turns out (a) we are only talking about 4 or 5%, and (b) it will only be part of Social Security reform and (c) that’s perhaps a decade away.

Cervical Cancer Update.  The payoff from vaccines may not be as good as previously reported.  This is from the American Health Line (gated):

The study concludes that vaccination costs about $43,600 per additional “quality-adjusted life year” when administered to 12-year-old girls and that the cost increased significantly when researchers included older girls and women in their calculations.

The full study is here.

Obesity Update.  30% of US adults are obese.  An additional 30% are overweight.  These are double the 1980 rates.  Full study here.

world's fattest man

World’s Fattest Man

Rationing by Waiting Update.  Four in ten patients in California emergency rooms could (and should) have seen doctors elsewhere.  The biggest offenders: Medi-Cal (California Medicaid) enrollees.  Turns out, California pays the lowest Medicaid rates to physicians among the 50 states [link].