A tale of two covariates: Why OWID and company are wrong about US healthcare
randomcriticalanalysis.com
A tale of two covariates: Why OWID and company are wrong about US healthcare
1–10 of 79 posts
Re: A tale of two covariates: Why OWID and company are wrong about US healthcare
#2Very long and well argued review of sources of excess mortality in developed countries. Bottom line: Obesity! and other non-medical factors like automobiles. Big implications about how we should spend money to increase life expectancy.
Re: A tale of two covariates: Why OWID and company are wrong about US healthcare
#3This starts with saying that there is a popular telling that the more money a country spends the better life expectancy will be. Especially looking at the US I thought most people know that US doesn't get much value compared to the money spent.
Was that really controversial?
Re: A tale of two covariates: Why OWID and company are wrong about US healthcare
#4Australia has similar rates of obesity and better health outcomes don't they?.
Re: A tale of two covariates: Why OWID and company are wrong about US healthcare
#5This starts with saying that there is a popular telling that the more money a country spends the better life expectancy will be. Especially looking at the US I thought most people know that US doesn't get much value compared to the money spent. Was that really controversial?
[deleted]
Re: A tale of two covariates: Why OWID and company are wrong about US healthcare
#6Very long and well argued review of sources of excess mortality in developed countries. Bottom line: Obesity! and other non-medical factors like automobiles. Big implications about how we should spend money to increase life expectancy.
Can you explain the conclusion of this article to me? I don't fully understand what he is trying to say.what are the implications? That the only improvement we can make on the american healthcare system is to fight obesity better?
Re: A tale of two covariates: Why OWID and company are wrong about US healthcare
#7This starts with saying that there is a popular telling that the more money a country spends the better life expectancy will be. Especially looking at the US I thought most people know that US doesn't get much value compared to the money spent. Was that really controversial?
My point is that there's very little to suggest US healthcare is uniquely ineffective. There rapidly diminishing returns to health spending and US outcomes are badly handicapped by factors like obesity and homicide.
Maybe try actually reading it though?
Re: A tale of two covariates: Why OWID and company are wrong about US healthcare
#8Very long and well argued review of sources of excess mortality in developed countries. Bottom line: Obesity! and other non-medical factors like automobiles. Big implications about how we should spend money to increase life expectancy.
Can you explain the conclusion of this article to me? I don't fully understand what he is trying to say.what are the implications? That the only improvement we can make on the american healthcare system is to fight obesity better?
By far the biggest health improvements that could be made in America would be reductions in obesity and reductions in vehicle fatalities. Whether that's the best area of focus depends on the relative difficulty of the improvements - if one second and one penny could save one person, that would be a higher priority than spending a million dollars and one year to save a thousand (even though both would be on the list for doing some time.)
Re: A tale of two covariates: Why OWID and company are wrong about US healthcare
#9Australia has similar rates of obesity and better health outcomes don't they?.
No, but this is addressed in my post. Australia's obesity rate is substantially lower, plus they suffer from lower homicide, drug abuse, and the like. More generally, the diminishing returns to health spending imply there's very little to believe the higher expenditure the US makes is likely to purchase appreciably better outcomes (even with different healthcare regimes).
Re: A tale of two covariates: Why OWID and company are wrong about US healthcare
#10Very long and well argued review of sources of excess mortality in developed countries. Bottom line: Obesity! and other non-medical factors like automobiles. Big implications about how we should spend money to increase life expectancy.
Can you explain the conclusion of this article to me? I don't fully understand what he is trying to say.what are the implications? That the only improvement we can make on the american healthcare system is to fight obesity better?
There are two points to the article.
1) Healthcare spending has rapidly diminishing returns, not only comparing the US to Europe, but comparing countries within Europe (such as the Netherlands versus Spain).
2) The lower life expectancy in the US can be explained mostly by higher obesity. US states with similar obesity to European countries have similar life expectancy.