I thought about this as well. If you really think about it this makes a lot of sense.
With a 10, you know the dealer doesn't have an Ace. Therefore there is a 7/12 chance of them having a hand.
with a 9 - 7/13 of having a made hand, plus 1/13 of having a 2.
with an 8 - 6/13 of having a made hand, plus 2/13 of having a 2 or 3.
with a 7 - 5/13 of having a made hand, plus 3/13 of having a 2, 3, 4.
Therefore against a:
10 you have about a 58% chance of being beat
9 = 54% of being beat + 7.5% chance of them having a 2 for 11
8 = 46% of being beat + 15% chance of them having 10 or 11
7 = 38% of being beat + 23% chance of them having a 9, 10, or 11
So the indexes are higher for a 16 against a 7-9 than a 10 because there is a better chance, 61%, of them having a hand or 9, 10, or 11 with the undercard with a 7-9 and only 58% with a 10.
Futhermore, what is the chance that if you hit your 16 you are going to have a winning hand? If you hit your 16 v 10 and draw an Ace, 2 or 3, you still have a 4/12 chance of being a loser with just the flip of the down card being a 10. With a 16 v 7, and you draw an Ace, 2, or 3, you have a 4/13 chance of still having a win/push.
So it is better for you to hope for a bust card under the dealers 10 by staying than it is to stay on your 16 v 7, because when the dealer makes a hand with a 10 up card it is going to be, on average, a stronger hand than when he has a 7 up card. And when you hit your 16 and do not bust it is going to hold up better against a 7 than a 10.
Trust your indexes.