Why the jump in non-COVID deaths?

Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on
LinkedIn
+

In November of last year, Pioneer warned about an “Impending Tsunami in Mortality from Traditional Diseases.”  We asked:

“did public health officials create such a climate of fear around COVID that they neglected to encourage people to visit their physicians and receive regular screenings from chronic conditions?”

The Pioneer report seems prescient, as the Wall Street Journal reported on February 23rd that life insurers had seen “a jump” in non-COVID death claims.

Actuaries for the life insurers speculated that the rise in non-COVID deaths were tied to

“delays in medical care as a result of lockdowns in 2020…and people’s fears of seeking out treatment.”

The Journal then editorialized that,

“it was as if the leaders of government health bureaucracies all forgot there were plenty of ways to die other than Covid infection.”

Get Updates On Our Healthcare Research and Events!

Browse Our Healthcare Content:

A Modest Proposal to Raise Federal Revenue

As a way to tackle drug prices, President Joe Biden recently announced that he supports the so-called “inflation rebate,” which would require drug companies to give the federal government any revenue from Medicare drug prices above the general rate of inflation. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have also publicly endorsed the inflation rebate.

Untangling Variants & Outbreaks: Can Vaccines & Natural Immunity Outrun Delta?

Hubwonk host Joe Selvaggi talks with author, surgeon, and public health expert Dr. Marty Makary about the COVID-19 Delta Variant, the durability of natural and vaccinated immunity, the benefits of booster shots, and the health risks for children as we move into the fall.

Targeting Pharma: Infrastructure Bill Employs Price Controls To Offset Unprecedented Price Tag

Hubwonk host Joe Selvaggi talks with Pioneer Institute Visiting Fellow in Life Sciences Dr. William Smith about how the price control features of the emerging $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill might affect the pharmaceutical Industry, both nationwide and here in Massachusetts, and what effect that change will have on drug consumers.

Alzheimer Breakthrough Disillusionment: Confusion on FDA’s Approval of Expensive and Possibly Ineffective Drug

Hubwonk host Joe Selvaggi talks with precision medicine expert Hannah Mamuszka and Pioneer Institute's Bill Smith about the promises and pitfalls of the newly approved Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm, and the challenges presented when new, expensive drugs of dubious benefit are introduced to the nation’s formulary.

Comparing Covid-19 Vaccination and New Infection Rates in Suffolk County: Is Vaccination Working?

/
Massachusetts ranks fourth nationally for the highest percent…

Dr. Babak Movassaghi on Winning in Football & Healthcare Innovation

/
This week on JobMakers, Host Denzil Mohammed talks with Dr. Babak Movassaghi, founder of InfiniteMD (acquired last summer by ConsumerMedical), which connects patients with top U.S. medical professionals through second-opinion video consultations, guiding patients to better care. When the world shut down due to COVID-19, Dr. Movassaghi's company was already prepared to serve patients via telehealth. In this episode, they discuss his fascinating pivot from physics and professional football in Germany, to healthcare and innovation here in the U.S., an extension of his ability to navigate multiple identities as an Iranian-German living the American Dream.

Valuing Life-Saving Drugs: What is the Price of Life and Who Decides?

Hubwonk host Joe Selvaggi talks with Pioneer Institute visiting fellow Dr. Bill Smith about Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALY) standards, and the ways in which so-called objective cost-containing strategies use expert opinion to determine the value of a life and thereby disadvantage the elderly, disabled, and those with less common vulnerabilities to disease.

Study: Massachusetts Should Retain Additional Healthcare System Flexibility Granted During Pandemic

Massachusetts’ emergency declaration for COVID-19 ends on June 15, and with it some enhanced flexibility that has been allowed in the healthcare system.  Some of the added flexibility highlighted barriers that make the system more expensive, harder to access and less patient-centered, and the Commonwealth should consider permanently removing these barriers, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute.