Unbiased Analysis of Today's Healthcare Issues
The latest oxymoron to come across my desk is ‘Libertarian Paternalism.’ Richard Thalar and Cass Sunstein (2003) claim that people often make choices that are not in their best interest. The authors “…emphasize the possibility that in some cases individuals make inferior choices, choices that they would change if they had complete information, unlimited cognitive…
The Economist magazine (“Pyramid power“) has an interesting article on how to get reading glasses to poor individuals in third world countries. Below are two excerpts: Government health clinics are understandably preoccupied with life-threatening maladies and urban optical shops typically shun simple reading glasses in favour of costly, high-margin prescription glasses. But this neglect takes…
Over the past week, I have discussed California’s proposal to extend health insurance to all individuals. Today, I will examine—in my mind—a superior plan developed by former Republican Rep. Curt Gielow. According to a concept paper from the Wisconsin Health Plan website, the reforms will have the following impact: “All eligible Wisconsin residents receive a…
For Labor Economists, the Economist magazine has an interesting story (“The world of work“) of the Manpower corporation. Manpower is a global corporation with their headquarters located in my hometown of Milwaukee. If you look at the Fortune 500 list, Manpower can be found at number 136. Below is an excerpt from the beginning of…
If you are are working towards a PhD in Economics—like myself—you may be interested in what the job market has in store for you when you graduate. If that is the case, you should check out an excellent article by John Cawley titled ‘A guide (and advice) for economists on the U.S. Junior Academic Job…
This week’s edition of the Health Wonk Review is available at the Health Care Renewal Blog.
In June of 2005, a pharmaceutical named BiDil used to combat heart failure was approved by the FDA. While this is not a notable event—there are many drugs to treat heart failure—the approval is novel since it was only approved for African-American patients. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the FDA “…approved BiDil for use…
Yesterday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled his plan to provide universal health care for all Californians. Here are some news sites as well as some reactions from around the web. Office of the Governor press release The Current Word Blog by Jim Mathies New York Times and L.A. Times Health Affairs blog (“From Congress to California“)…
Last December, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger held a press conference detailing some of the problems in the California health care system. For instance, there are 6.5 million California residents without insurance; the governor claims that individuals insurance premiums are about $500 higher (or $1200 for a family or four) than they would be if these uninsured…
The Orange County Register had an interesting column in this Sunday’s paper. The article discusses the Field Poll which I mentioned on Thursday (“California wants…“), and concludes that Californians’ wish to have government-provided health care will lead to a Canadian-style system. Below is the article written by senior editorial writer Steven Greenhut. “I was in…