Unbiased Analysis of Today's Healthcare Issues
What is a convex set? An object is convex if for every pair of points within the object, every point on the straight line segment that joins them is also within the object. Mathematically, we can define a convex set as follows. C is a convex set if: αx+(1-α)y ∈ C, ∀ α ∈ [0,1], ∀ x,y ∈ C. In other words, this…
According to Rasmussen Reports: 53% of American adults believe capitalism is better than socialism, 20% believe socialism is better, and 27% are undecided.
Today, April 13th, I successfully defended my dissertation. I now officially have a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, San Diego.
“Although the evidence was mixed for the 1980s and it is difficult to pinpoint when in the 1990s the decline began, during the mid- and late 1990s, the panel found consistent declines on the order of 0-2.5% per year for two commonly used measures in the disability literature: difficulty with daily activities and help with…
Currently the FDA requires that drug companies conduct 3 phases in order to secure the approval of a pharmaceutical. These are: Phase I. These are smaller (20-80 participants), clinical trials which determine a drug’s safety and pharmacologic properties among healthy volunteers. Phase II. This phase tests a drug’s efficacy and optimal dosage. Typically 100-300 individuals…
When and how regulators allow drugs to come to market is an complex and fascinating process. In order for drugs to be sold to the public, they must gain approval by the FDA (U.S.) or EMEA (EU). This involves multiple stages of clinical trials, often costing many millions of dollars. The uses these trials to…
Healthcare Manumission hosts the 75th installment of the Cavalcade of Risk. My favorite insight was from the Colorado Health Insurance Insider: “Patients are in the system because they have to be, but the same is not the case for doctors, nurses, and other health care providers. Whatever health care reforms we consider…we need to…
Consumer Reports writes that “66% of those polled by Consumer Reports said they found out the cost of a drug when they picked it up at the pharmacy counter, while just 4% said they had a conversation with their doctor about the cost of a drug.” Because doctors do not discuss cost with their patients, these…
How do you estimate the specific risk a smoking has on the probability of being hospitalized. If smokers on average have lower income and less educational achievement, is smoking truly causing the increase in hospitalization or could the covariates fully or partially explain the increased hospitalization rates? A paper by Kleinman and Norton suggests using…
Nevada is contemplating ‘slapping’ a $5 tax on sex acts in brothels.