Scott analyzes whether whole-body screening MRIs are worth it by doing a detailed cost-benefit calculation, finding they cost about $108,000 per quality-adjusted life-year saved (right around the threshold of cost-effectiveness), and argues that while rich people immune to anxiety might benefit, most people claiming to be rational about medical decisions probably aren't. Longer summary

Scott performs a detailed cost-benefit analysis of whole-body screening MRIs in response to controversy over medical experts recommending against them. Using rough order-of-magnitude estimates, he calculates that screening 1,000 people saves about 32 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) at a cost of $2.7 million plus time and anxiety costs, working out to about $108,000 per QALY saved—right at the threshold of cost-effectiveness. He explores whether rich people who don't care about money should get screened, finding a plausible case but with many caveats about unknown factors that could swing the calculation either way. He then applies this analysis to Midjourney's proposed ultrasound scanner, finding it's unlikely to be clearly better than MRI. The post ends with a warning that people who think they're rational enough to ignore false positives are often the same people making irrational medical decisions based on contrarian appeals. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander analyzes the economic and societal implications of semaglutide, a new effective weight loss drug, and its potential to reshape obesity treatment. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the economic and societal impact of semaglutide, a new weight loss drug. He discusses its effectiveness, current limited availability, and potential future widespread use. The post covers the drug's history, its current pricing and accessibility issues, and projections for its future market. Scott also touches on the broader implications for obesity treatment and the possibility of a 'post-obesity' future. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander compiles reader comments on healthcare systems in various countries, discussing economics, drug pricing, and personal experiences. Longer summary

This post is a collection of reader comments on healthcare systems in various countries, focusing on the US, Germany, Netherlands, UK, Australia, Switzerland, and several others. It covers topics like drug pricing, healthcare economics, and personal experiences with different systems. The post is structured into four main sections: comments on US healthcare, discussions on drug pricing and subsidies, explanations of why healthcare economics are unique, and detailed accounts of healthcare systems in specific countries. Shorter summary