The hottest Health economics Substack posts right now

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Top Health Politics Topics

Hep B vaccine rates declining, RSV is having a late surge, more disease=more economic cost, AI and triage, and the U.S. surgeon general

Your Local Epidemiologist • 956 implied HN points • 03 Mar 26
🏥 Health Politics Health economics
  1. Newborn hepatitis B vaccination rates are falling substantially, and declining childhood immunization (like MMR) threatens more cases, hospitalizations, deaths, and large economic costs.
  2. The respiratory season is unusual: flu activity is plateauing while RSV infections and hospitalizations are surging very late, putting infants at higher risk; vaccines and long-acting monoclonal antibodies can still provide protection.
  3. Consumer AI health tools can help with simple questions but are not yet reliable for triage; they often over-refer low-risk people and can miss early signs of serious emergencies, so don’t rely on them in urgent situations.

5 ways our health care system has become utterly insane

Your Local Epidemiologist • 2696 implied HN points • 12 Nov 25
🏥 Health Politics Health economics
  1. Health care costs are rising much faster than people's wages, making it hard for many to afford basic needs like rent and groceries. This leads to a lot of Americans going into medical debt, even those who have insurance.
  2. Despite spending the most on health care, the U.S. gets poorer health outcomes compared to other wealthy countries. Factors like a lack of preventive care and access to primary care contribute to this problem.
  3. Many believe Americans use too much health care, but it's actually high prices and administrative waste that drive costs. There's a lot of inefficiency in the system, and patients often don't know what they're actually paying for.

How can American medicine be this bad?

Unreported Truths • 116 implied HN points • 22 Jan 26
🏥 Health Politics Health economics
  1. Big corporate healthcare and insurance pressures have turned primary care into rushed, impersonal visits where thorough physical exams and continuity are often missing.
  2. Doctors are increasingly treated like functionaries following checklists and metrics, prioritizing measurable targets like blood pressure numbers and vaccines over listening to a patient’s full story.
  3. Older solo practitioners provided hands-on exams and long-term, personalized care, and those bedside skills and relationships are disappearing as systems prioritize efficiency and scale.

We Must Pay More for Drugs

Something to Consider • 79 implied HN points • 27 Jul 24
🏥 Health Politics Health economics
  1. Patents help inventors protect their ideas, but they alone can't ensure fair profits from innovations. We need more support to make sure inventors get what they deserve.
  2. In a monopoly, the price of goods reflects production costs, not research costs. This can lead to less innovation if prices don't encourage investment.
  3. To encourage more drug discoveries, we might need to pay higher prices or create subsidies and prizes for medical breakthroughs. It’s a tough choice, but necessary for progress.

Interpreting the Turnaway Study Correctly

Bet On It • 150 implied HN points • 02 Dec 25
🏥 Health Politics Health economics
  1. The study finds that women denied abortions report similar long-run life satisfaction to those who got abortions, suggesting the subjective benefits of parenting can offset its objective costs.
  2. Being denied an abortion still leads to real harms: prolonged financial hardship, changed life trajectories, worse relationships, health risks, and in a few cases death — emotional resilience doesn’t erase those effects.
  3. Policy claims should depend on measured magnitudes; researchers should pre-specify the effect sizes that would justify different laws, because findings that don’t change policy recommendations are misleading.
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Six annoying steps that reduced my prescription drug costs by $2000 per year

Neeloy’s Substack • 59 implied HN points • 21 Jun 24
🏥 Health Politics Health economics
  1. You can save money on prescription drugs by asking for generic versions. A simple request to your doctor might cut costs significantly.
  2. Checking websites like goodrx.com for coupons can make a big difference. It's worth taking the time to search for discounts at different pharmacies.
  3. Don't hesitate to communicate with your pharmacist and doctor. Asking questions and exploring alternatives can lead to much lower medication costs.

The Enemy is Us on Health Policy

In My Tribe • 440 implied HN points • 25 Dec 24
🏥 Health Politics Health economics
  1. Many Americans see health care as a gift, not a product, which makes it hard to talk about costs. Doctors want to be paid, but they don't want to think of themselves as selling their services.
  2. There are certain cultural attitudes that shape the way our health care system works today. These attitudes include the reluctance to view health care as a commodity.
  3. People often ignore other ways resources can be used when it comes to health care. This can create issues in how we manage and think about health care policies.

Optimism of the will

Comment is Freed • 66 implied HN points • 09 Jul 25
🏥 Health Politics Health economics
  1. The new NHS plan is ambitious but lacks clear steps on how to achieve its goals. It has many ideas but doesn't explain how to address current problems or fund the changes.
  2. There is a trend in the plan to shift healthcare services into local centers, but this has been tried before without success. The history of similar proposals is not properly considered.
  3. While it's good to be optimistic about making changes, ignoring the real challenges and barriers can lead to problems. It's important to balance hope with a realistic understanding of obstacles.

In 2021, 72% of UnitedHealth’s $222.9 billion revenue came from taxpayers.

HEALTH CARE un-covered • 259 implied HN points • 27 Jan 22
🏥 Health Politics Health economics
  1. In 2021, most of UnitedHealth's revenue, about 72%, came from taxpayer money, highlighting their dependence on government programs.
  2. The majority of UnitedHealth's growth in the last decade came from government programs like Medicare and Medicaid, not from private insurance.
  3. Healthcare costs for families are rising, with premiums and deductibles taking a larger slice of their income compared to a decade ago.

Hay fever, the deadly allergy

Klement on Investing • 1 implied HN point • 08 Mar 24
🏥 Health Politics Health economics
  1. Hay fever affects about one in five people in the UK, with higher rates in countries like Brazil and Australia.
  2. Hay fever can lead to accidents and injuries, especially when operating heavy machinery or engaging in physical activities.
  3. A study in Japan estimated that a 10% increase in pollen count leads to thousands of additional accidents, costing the economy billions of dollars.