Computer Tips

N.Y. Times technology guru David Pogue has some neat computer tricks and shortcuts to make your time spent reading the Healthcare Economist easier.  For instance: “You can tap the Space bar to scroll down on a Web page one screenful. Add the Shift key to scroll back up.“

Bad economy may be good for your health

While your wallet may be a little lighter and your 401(k) may have taken a beating, the economic downturn may actually improve your health. The N.Y. Times reports that “people tend not to take care of themselves in boom times — drinking too much (especially before driving), dining on fat-laden restaurant meals and skipping exercise…

Bailout…for mental health

Wall Street wasn’t the only group helped by the economic bailout bill.  Also included in the bailout bill was a law that requires equal coverage of mental and physical illnesses.  The law was the culmination of many years of work by mental health advocates such as Senator Pete V. Domenici and Senator Paul Wellstone.  What will mental health…

2008 Nobel Prize in Medicine Announced

The 2008 Nobel Prize in Medicine was given to three European researchers who discovered viruses that cause cervical cancer and AIDS.   German virologist Harald zur Hausen discovered that HPV causes cervical cancer. This discovery eventually lead to the creation of the HPV vaccine against cervical cancer. Two French virologists, Francoise Barre-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier, shared the…

Covering the Uninsured

Jonathan Gruber (2008) has a nice review article in the most recent edition of the Journal of Economic Literature.  This article is especially good for those who are not schooled in the basic issues of the uninsured.  It is also useful for professors wishing to teach students about the uninsured in America. The article reviews…

Economists favor Obama

The Economist magazine took a poll of academic economists working at NBER to see who they would vote for.  Barack Obama came out as the favorite.  Even though 46% of academic economists list themselves as Democrats compared to only 10% who claim to be Republican, Obama came out overwhelmingly ahead. Seventy percent of economists would…

POV: Critical Condition

Last night I watched a powerful documentary chronicling about the plight of four of the 47 million uninsured Americans.  P.O.V.’s “Critical Condition” by Roger Weisberg follows four individuals through their experience of getting sick and attempting to secure medical care without insurance. “What happens if you fall sick and are one of 47 million people…