Correlation and Causation
This comic may cause you to laugh.
Author: Jason Shafrin
The Intensive and Extensive Margins of Teenage Sex
HIV is a huge health issue around the world and especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Many American NGOs have promoted abstinence programs as a way to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. However, most evidence finds that this approach has been ineffective. An NBER working paper by Dupas (2009) adds more support that abstinence programs do not…
Cavalcade of Risk
SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Reading this edition of the Cavalcade of Risk puts you at risk of certain side effects such as: a sudden increase in intelligence; gaining a basic understanding of how health care and health insurance works in the UK and at General Mills; nausea from recent economic news. This news includes investigating the parallels…
$1.1 billion for Comparative Effectiveness Research
Regarding my post on Monday, Obama’s stimulus package–a.k.a. the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)–includes 1.1 billion dollars for clinical comparative effectiveness research. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), ARRA “allocates $1.1 billion for comparative clinical effectiveness research, including $300 million for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and $400 million each…
Mandatory Nurse Staffing Ratios and Hospital Quality
At the turn of the century, California passed laws mandating minimum nurse-to-patient ratios. These laws went into effect in 2004. Initially, the nurse patient ratio was 1:6, but those ratios were decreased to 1:5 in 2005. Do minimum nurse staffing laws increase the quality of medical care or do they simply increase costs and…
Are juries too stupid to judge technical drug safety cases?
Yes, Dr. Peter Schuck (Professor, Yale Law School): “…juries in different states make different decisions on the same drug–hardly a recipe for the uniformity and predictability to which manufacturers should be entitled. A jury’s flaws are inherent in its design. In contrast, the FDA’s flaws–and they are many–can at least be remedied by Congress, to…
Should the U.S. get NICE?
All health services researches know that comparative-effectiveness research is a vital link towards improving quality and decreasing cost. Comparative effectiveness examines different medical treatments and evaluates which are the most cost effective. The UK’s NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) publishes clinical appraisals regarding which treatments the NHS should cover. Should the U.S. create a…
Help advance the science of economics and win a $25 Amazon gift card
Daniel Wiesen and Jason Shafrin ask you to participate in an economic survey. By completing the survey, you will help advance the science of economics. Further, if you complete the survey by March 20, you will be made eligible to win a $25 gift card to Amazon. To take the survey click on this link or paste…
Is MediGap efficiently priced?
In 2004, 29% of Medicare enrollees had Medigap coverage. Are these policies priced efficiently? An NBER paper by Maestas, Schroeder and Goldman (2009) argues that the answer is no. Prior to July 1992, Medigap was minimally regulated. With the passage of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (implemented in July 1992), Medigap plans…
Help advance the science of economics and win a $25 Amazon gift card
Daniel Wiesen and Jason Shafrin ask you to participate in an economic survey. By completing the survey, you will help advance the science of economics. Further, if you complete the survey by March 20, you will be made eligible to win a $25 gift card to Amazon. To take the survey click on this…