Health & Veritas Perverse Incentives in Healthcare and Other News
Jan 9, 2025
The hosts tackle the widespread dissatisfaction with the U.S. healthcare system, highlighting alarming polling data. They discuss how perverse incentives in insurance impact patient care and dive into the troubling implications of ultra-processed foods on health. A poignant conversation addresses the Surgeon General's insights on alcohol and cancer risks, challenging popular beliefs about moderate drinking. The rising population of cancer survivors sparks debate on the need for coordinated long-term care, while recent fraud cases in healthcare raise ethical concerns.
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Incentivize Farm Reporting For H5N1 Control
- Strengthen farm surveillance and incentivize reporting to control H5N1 risks at the animal–human interface.
- Howard Forman urges funding for testing, vaccines, and protections for farmworkers, including undocumented workers.
Even Low Alcohol Raises Cancer Risk
- Alcohol causes a measurable cancer burden even at low levels of consumption.
- Harlan Krumholz emphasizes growing recognition that alcohol is toxic beyond heavy use.
Questioning Alcohol's Cardio Benefits
- Observational 'J-curve' cardioprotective signal likely reflects confounding by health status and behavior.
- Mendelian randomization studies using alcohol-intolerance genes weaken the claim that moderate drinking protects the heart.