Unbiased Analysis of Today's Healthcare Issues
Here is some of the latest health news concerning China: The Gates Foundation donated $50m to fight HIV in China (Houston Chronicle). Diabetes rates in China are increasing (ChinaView). China’s use of coal plants is creating pollution problems in Japan, South Korea, and even the U.S. (CNN)
Here’s some interesting reading to cure your mid-week blues: Joe Paduda in “Dumber than a box of rocks” references a FierceHealthcare article which finds that HealthNet actually paid bonuses to staff based on how many claimant policies they could terminate. This cost-saving may backfire since one patient is suing HealthNet for $6 million. The L.A.…
This is the question asked to undergraduate economics students a public health students by Atheendar of ‘Dar he Blogs. One third of the economics student said yes, but all the MPH students said no. Atheender concludes the following: I think there are two things to take from this. First, there is a great deal of…
Can a state run petroleum company be as efficient as a private sector company? The answer is a resounding, “yes but…” It is possible that state-run petroleum companies can be efficient as long as they stick to the business of producing oil. Yet Tina Rosenberg’s “The Perils of Petrocracy” article in the N.Y. Times Sunday…
Can we estimate risk aversion and prudence using a survey question for the general public? This is what a paper by Eisenhauer and Ventura attempts to do. Methods In the 1995 Survey of Italian Households’ Income and Wealth, one question asked: You are offered the opportunity of acquiring a security permitting you, with the same…
As most of you know who have been reading the news, the wildfires in San Diego, my home, have been causing much devastation. According to San Diego’s NPR station KPBS, an “estimated 245,000 acres burned and 1200 homes destroyed in San Diego County” (reported as of 10:09am Pacific time). Over 250,000 individuals have been evacuated…
An explanation for the recent General Motors-United Auto Workers deal is pretty simple: it is a transfer of risk. GM will set up a Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association (VEBA) which will be controlled by the union. According to the Detroit Free Press (” UAW ratifies”) GM will place about $30 billion dollars in the account…
The work of three researchers who developed the procedure of gene targeting have won the 2007 Nobel Prize in Medicine. The winners are: Mario R. Capecchi (USA, born Italy). Has used gene targeting to uncover the role of genes involved in organ development, and the overall plan of the body. Martin J. Evans (UK). Used…
Yesterday, Microsoft announced the introduction of the online medical records system titled Health Vault. Online medical records would greatly increase productivity in the health care industry since: Patients would be able to have all their health care information in one spot. Moving from one state or country to another would not entail losing your medical…
There is an interesting article from the Techdirt blog about “How patents skew medical research.” The blog post states “The monopoly power granted by patents pushes all research money into only things that can be patented, ignoring other possible cures, even if they can be both profitable and quite helpful.” The post includes an example…