The Dental Cartel

The New York Times reports (“Dental Clinics…“) that the American Dental Association’s branch in Alaska has filed a lawsuit to stop dental therapists from practicing.  “The dental associations say they simply want to be sure that patients do not receive substandard care. But some dentists in public health programs contend that dentists in private practice…

Absenteeism and Presenteeism

Should employers provide health insurance to their employees? There are many reasons why they should. One is that employees are attracted to firms that offer health insurance, especially since their are tax and cost advantages to group health insurance purchased through an employer. Another reason is that if a worker becomes sick, that reduces productivity.…

Falling Immunization Rates

ABC News reports that immunization rates are falling.  Who’s fault is this? “Traditionally, the government has measured immunization noncompliance by tallying up only missed doses of a vaccine. In this new research, the CDC recalculated immunization compliance to include vaccine lapses in addition to missed doses. Based on these new criteria, the CDC found that…

Science 2.0

The Scientific American magazine has an interesting article (“Science 2.0“) about the web, open-access, blogging and research. Should researchers post their results online? Should scientists blog about their methodology? Pros It seems like academic research is the perfect forum for social networking and blogging. The sharing of ideas is a key means towards scientific invention/innovation.…

Health Care Around the World: Canada

Canada has a single payer system but the provinces have the bulk of the responsibility of running the health care system for their own residents. In order to qualify for federal funding, each province must meet the following criteria. Universality. Available to all provincial residents on uniform terms and conditions; Comprehensiveness. Covering all medically necessary…

Health Care Around the World: Germany

The most significant difference between Germany’s health care system and that of other countries is its use of sickness funds. All Germans with incomes under €46,300 are required to enroll in one of the sickness funds. Those with higher incomes can either join a sickness fund themselves or opt out and instead buy private insurance.…

Health Care Around the World: Switzerland

I have already written about Switzerland in previous posts (see Swiss Healthcare Sytem: Part I, and Part II). Still of all the countries with universal health care, Switzerland’s is the most market-oriented and merits discussion. Switzerland’s health care spending as a percentage of GDP is second only behind the U.S. (11.6% of GDP for Switzerland,…