Bro-pulation Health

The Population Health Blog wishes a health insurer would be as clever as the marketeers behind the Geico "Flextacular" commercial while extolling the virtues of its population health program.  For example, wellness with less bro'tatoe chips and bro'nuts and more bro'colli, bro'bacco cessation, and bro'ing to the gym for some exercise.

Persons with diabetes could strive for a lower Bro1c, hypertensives could seek a lower bro' pressure while persons with heart failure can 'bro to the doctor if their weight goes up by more than four kil'brograms in a 24 bro-ur period. 

Make that bro-pulation health.

Speaking of 'bro's, like many readers the PHB was also astonished by bad-boy "Pharma 'Bro's" smirking insolence during the Feb. 4 Congressional hearing on how Turing Pharmaceuticals turned a generic into a $750 pill.  That being said, the adult witnesses at the hearing later pointed out that the initial retail price - once the supply chain does its work - has little correlation with the final negotiated rate.  For Medicaid patients, that turned out to be "a penny a pill." 

The PHB suspects that the staff advising the House Committee on Oversight and Investigations knew this, but went along with their bosses' interest in publicly humiliating Mr. Shkreli.  While his bad behavior may be symptomatic of a deeper personal contempt for the rules, what this also demonstrates is that the U.S. is one of a handful of countries where we are able to publicly laugh at those in power and walk freely out of the room.  Good for us.