Tim Worstall

No, not a good idea I would think.

Primary schools will be compelled to demand proof that pupils have had a full range of jabs – including measles, mumps and rubella – before allowing them to register.

It’s one thing to say that children should be vaccinated, another to insist that […]

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As you know, one of the themes around here is that cost benefit analyses need to be, well, focussed on both costs and benefits. So this is excellent news indeed:

Tens of thousands of Alzheimer’s sufferers and their families had their hopes raised yesterday as two drug companies won a landmark victory in the Court of […]

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Parents who look after their children at home rather than send them to playgroups may be increasing their chances of developing leukaemia by 30 per cent, according to research published today.

The thought is that exposure to the various childhood ailments primes the immune system, making it less likely to go out of control (ie, one […]

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Wanted: 150 women to eat chocolate

Some drug trials find it easier to get the guinea pigs than others.

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Hundreds of thousands of people with failing eyesight have been given fresh hope of a cure after gene therapy techniques were used to treat a teenager.
The treatment transformed the life of a severely visually impaired 18-year-old. Healthy genes were injected into one eye, leading to a significant improvement.

Eh? How does this work? I was under […]

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Desirable, yes:

Our aim is to stop malaria deaths by ensuring universal coverage in Africa by the end of 2010.

All in 32 months, eh?
Forgive me this prediction: it ain’t gonna happen.
 

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A cuddle from mother is a natural painkiller for babies, according to a new report.
Premature newborns suffered less if they experienced skin-to-skin contact with their mother as they underwent a painful medical procedure, their study found.
A cuddle also appeared to help babies recover from pain more quickly.

Anyone else entirely unsurprised by this?
One thing it might […]

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Paul Krugman:

…but the equally foolish claim, refuted by all available evidence, that the magic of the marketplace can produce cheap health care for everyone. …

How about this as an idea? Health care is expensive because health care is expensive: it requires huge amounts of labour (in the US, 13.5 million people) and vast […]

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Yes, to be welcomed.

Tens of thousands of NHS patients will be given money to pay for their own health care in a controversial "voucher" scheme under new government plans.
Patients with a range of illnesses will have direct control of "individual health budgets", allowing them to decide how to spend money at present allocated for them […]

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I’ve been deperately trying to get my head around Dean Baker’s proposals for reducing the costs of pharmaceuticals.
Essentially, as I understand it, do not allow patents on drugs. Instead, pay development costs directly from tax revenue and thus the drugs will be sold at marginal cost, rather than having to bear the costs of their […]

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She’s actually rather more sane than usual here:

This is one of the most common charges made against complementary medicine - that most of it is no better than placebo. But there is a way of turning that accusation around: perhaps complementary medicine is an effective way to harness placebo as one of the most powerful […]

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Eh?

Actor Patrick Swayze’s doctors have ordered him to quit smoking as he battles pancreatic cancer. The ‘Dirty Dancing’ star is known for smoking more than three packs of cigarettes a day, and had till now refused to kick the butt. However, his doctors have cautioned him that if he wants to increase his chances of […]

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They’re insane:

Ministers are preparing to approve plans that would allow supermarkets to collude in alcohol price rises as part of efforts to stem Britain’s binge drinking epidemic.
The new arrangements, which would be secured through amendments to licensing laws, will enable supermarkets to get around existing competition rules that impose hefty penalties for price collusion.

Back to […]

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Millions of Britons are taking anti-depressants for no reason, according to a study that found they made little difference to the condition.
Researchers discovered the drugs, which cost the taxpayer almost £300 million a year, generally work no better than dummy pills, and said exercise and therapy should first be prescribed instead.

How depressing.

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I’m not sure about the way that Dan Roberts seems to admire the Massachusetts health care plans: reading the US blogs it seems to be a wildly expensive and bureacratic approach. Still, on the matter of reforming the NHS he says:
The trick is to tap into that desire for self-improvement while making sure everyone gets […]

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To Neil Boorman:

And when the time came to pass that water out the other end, there were plenty of public toilets to choose from. Today, I must buy a bottle of water for £1 and, later on, plead with the manager of a coffee shop or pub to let me use the toilet.

Seems the prostate […]

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So says Dean Baker. Yup, great idea. Best response so far:

Brilliant!
Have the politicians hire contractors to do the research. 20 billion is a vast amount of money. What percent of the contractors will be relatives of or major contributors to politicians. The government has a wonderful track record in dealing with contractors. This is an […]

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The USA is clearly unable to deliver on the promise of universal health care, which puts it way down the league table in terms of social progress among the rich nations.

The US does have universal health care. What it doesn’t have is universal health insurance.
 

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This is interesting:

I believe that universal health care has to be THE central item in a progressive agenda

I’m pretty sure that universal health care has been achieved in the US: at least as much as universal health care has been so in the UK.
What people have been arguing for is universal health insurance, a very […]

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Not sure I actually beleive this (although of course my anecdotal data point doesn’t outweight the science):

Drinking too many sugary soft drinks and fruit juices can substantially increase the risk of gout, scientists say in a report published today.
Researchers found that the risks associated with these drinks were higher than with certain types of alcohol, […]

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