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Over at The Corner, Robert VerBruggen highlights the results of a new study that looks at the result of Medicaid expansion in California:

On the benefits side, we do not detect significant improvements in patient health, although the expansion led to substantially greater hospital and emergency room use, and a reallocation of care from public to private and better-quality hospitals.

(Emphasis mine.) This paper joins an illustrious list of studies that find no benefit to Medicaid because they define “health” as “not dying.” That’s it. You feel better? You got a cavity filled? You got a prescription for an antidepressant? A new hip? Sorry, that doesn’t count. The only thing that counts is mortality. If that cavity wasn’t going to kill you, then this study doesn’t care about it.

And while we’re on the subject, why California? This has got to be one of the worst possible states to study since we already have relatively good indigent health care. Switching to Medicaid may have some advantages, but in California it probably has only a modest effect on health.

Anyway, I’ll make my usual offer to the folks who enjoy highlighting studies like this: If you’re really convinced that insurance has no particular effect on health, then put your money where your mouth is and ditch your own coverage. Any takers?

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BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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