Unbiased Analysis of Today's Healthcare Issues
Recently, we have seen a shift towards the left in Latin America. Socialistic presidents Evo Morales of Bolivia (who just nationalized Bolivia’s national gas industry) and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela both enjoy much popular support. Brazilian president Lula Da Silva has a background as a union leader and Nestor Kirchner of Argentina also rose to…
Recently, I wrote a post regarding the inefficiency of the Medical Malpractice system. Both Brennan, Sox and Burstin (1996) and Studdert, Mello and Brennan (2004) found that not only were there many frivolous suits brought to court, but even more prevalent was the phenomenon that individuals who suffered negligent care did not sue (only 3%…
Michael Jordan. Pele. Sandy Koufax. William Henderson. How do the greatest athletes in the world become so great? Do they have an innate ability or are they simply hard workers? Certainly, it is a combination of both. Nevertheless Anders Ericsson, a psychology professor at Florida State University, claims that talent is over-rated; hard work is…
You feel an uncomfortable pressure, squeezing the center of your chest. The pain spreads to your shoulders, your neck and then your arms. As you begin to perspire, you are suddenly overwhelmed with lightheadedness and nausea. You are having a heart attack and you need to find help soon. If you were living in San…
Earlier I posted that Mexico would pass a bill decriminalizing drug use. Late last night, howeer, President Vicente Fox decided not to approve the Mexican law which would have decriminalized minor drug use. The Chicago Tribune (“Mexico’s Fox retreats…“) implied that this reversal was due significant pressure exerted by the U.S. on Mr. Fox.
Less than two weeks ago, the New York Times (“Report Illumintes Wide Divide…“) reported that FDA has denied that there are any medicinal benefits to marijuana. The article continues stating: While it has always been the drug enforcement agency’s policy to enforce laws against marijuana, [DEA spokeswomen] Ms. Waite said, “now it’s clearly out there,…
Pharmaceutical companies spent hundreds of millions of dollars in order to gain FDA approval for their products. A biologist at the FDA headquarters makes between $38 and $86 thousand. The diffeence between these two sums is emormous; thus, it would not be surprising if the FDA was ripe with corruption. Sure enough, the New York…
My friend and General Electric financial analyst Matt Janner is currently working in Dubai. He has sent me some wonderful articles about the emirate and one of its newest investments: “Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC).” Here is a brief summary of what I have gleaned from these articles. Dubai is one of the fastest growing cities…
Zeyad is a Baghdad-based dentist, and the author of the Healing Iraq blog. In his post on The Guardian website, Zeyad describes how corruption is siphoning off medical supplies from physicians who need them for patient care. Even in areas where terrorism is not a problem, the health care is still abismal. Zeyad states: “The…
What happens to farmers in developed nations when they or their family members get sick? Typically, much of a farmer’s savings is tied up in illiquid assets (land, crops, fertilizer, etc.) and the farmer turns to the town money lender. Since there is less competition for loans in rural areas, the money lender can charge…