Unbiased Analysis of Today's Healthcare Issues
The Economist has an interesting article on how pharmaceutical companies are trying to hawk their wares in developing countries (“Quagmire or goldmine?“) Generally, Pharma has stayed away from selling in developing countries due to uncertainties in their level of patent protection. For instance, Brazil has “threatened to invoke compulsory licensing (a legal mechanism that, in…
This past weekend, I went to Washington, D.C. for a conference. I was able to slip away for a few hours to spend some time at the Newseum, a very interesting museum about News. Thus, this week I will present the Health Wonk Review in newspaper format. COVER STORY Health Affairs Blog: Health Reform In…
Many doctors claim that the medical malpractice system is broken and needs to be fixed. Doctors have high malpractice insurance premiums and often practice defensive medicine to protect themselves against lawsuits. To help alleviate this problem, many politicians have asked for some sort of tort reform. Tort reform can be generally categorized into 4 types…
What is life really like working in a hospital? The Economist reviews a recent book by Julie Salmon titled Hospital: Man, Woman, Birth, Death, Infinity, Plus Red Tape, Bad Behavior, Money, God and Diversity on Steroids. Here is an excerpt from The Economist: “…the fine grain of Ms Salamon’s observations allows her to paint a…
For many years price increases in the medical sector has outpaced overall inflation by a significant amount. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, here is the increase in consumer prices over the last few years. Year Medical CPI CPI Δ 2001 4.7 1.6 3.1 2002 5.0 2.4 2.6 2003 3.7 1.9 1.8 2004 4.2…
On Friday I posted on Consumer Driven Health Care. These consumer driven health plans (CDHPs) involve individuals having direct discretion about how health care dollars are spent. If you are interested in CDHP, there may still be some confusion over which H?A you prefer. Is a HRA (Health Reimbursement Account or Health Reimbursement Arrangement) or…
What is Medicare Part D? Medicare Part D began in 2006 and provides insurance coverage for pharmaceuticals for the elderly. The program is set up so that the government does not purchase the drugs directly, but subsidizes private prescription drug plans, which then negotiate prices with the pharmaceutical companies. There are two types of Part…
I will be in Washington D.C. from today until Sunday night attending the Institute for Humane Studies Research Colloquium. Blogging will resume on Monday.
The latest edition of the Cavalcade of Risk is up at Hill’s Personal Finance.
Consumer directed health plans (CDHP) seem like an attractive option for small businesses. CDHPs utilize high deductible health plans (HDHP) making patients pay more money out of pocket. Because of this, insurance premiums are lower. These HDHPs can be linked to Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) or Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). Since small businesses do not…