Health Wonk Review posted
The latest edition of the Health Wonk Review has been posted at David Williams’ Health Business Blog website.
Unbiased Analysis of Today's Healthcare Issues
The latest edition of the Health Wonk Review has been posted at David Williams’ Health Business Blog website.
In his book Crisis of Abundance: Rethinking how we pay for health care, Arnold Kling gives an example of how economists view non-monetary costs in medical care setting. “Most people do not like to go to a doctor, undergo medical procedures, or stay in a hospital. However, economists do not see this as offsetting the…
A recent NBER working paper by Banks, Marmot, Oldfield and Smith looks at the health outcomes and Socio-Economic Status (SES) of white males between the ages of 55 and 64 in the U.S. and in England. The authors use data from the American Health and Retirement Study (HRS), Assets and Health Dynamics of the Oldest…
On a lighter note… If you are a fan of NBC’s “The Office” and need a laugh, please take a look at the following clip on YouTube. In this video from season one, Dwight Schrute (played by Rainn Wilson) is put in charge of choosing a health insurance plan for his co-workers.
The New York Times has an interesting article (“China’s Muslims…“) of how AIDS is affecting Muslims in western China. The newspaper reports that there is a “sea change by the Chinese public health establishment” in which intravenous drug users are now being sent to treatment instead of jail. The major impetus for this change was…
What is the most efficient procedure to immunize large groups of people? This is an interesting question, especially considering the potential need to distribute vast amounts of medicine in the case of a terrorist attack. Since the CDC’s Vaccinations for Children (VFC) program recommended flu shots for that all children age six months and to…
Some interesting readings for your weekend… The Health Affairs blog gives a succinct explanation comparing the U.S. health care system to the typical European model. (“U.S. Pluralism vs. International ‘Systemness‘”) On Wednesday, the Health Business Blog reported that Toyota is starting its own medical clinic to provide primary and outpatient care for its employees at…
In an interesting article, the Gooznews website asks “How good is your primary care physician?” The answer, at least for the U.S., is not so good. Referencing a 2006 Health Affairs survey of primary care physicians in Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Gooznews cites the slow…
Having a safe and reliable water supply is a prerequisite for longevity. In China’s arid northern region, procuring water has always been a problem. In this week’s Economist, the magazine reports (“A modest proposal“) on some of China’s latest efforts to bring water to this region. The Chinese have already been hard at work diverting…
Nancy Johnson, a co-author of the Medicare prescription drug, has lost in her bid for re-election. According to Fox News (“GOP Rep. Johnson loses…“), the 12-term Republican representative has lost to Democrat Chris Murphy in the Connecticut house race. The Boston Herald (“Johnson loses…“) reports: “Murphy, 33, has slammed Johnson for her support of the…