Unbiased Analysis of Today's Healthcare Issues
Many politicians and economists worry over the growing wage inequality which has arisen in the last few decades in the United States. On Wednesday, the New York Times published a story on this very topic (“…Paychecks“); Greg Mankiw also commented on the subject as well. Statistics show that real wages grew 30% for those in…
The San Fransisco Chronicle reports (“Poll…“) that “eight out of 10 voters statewide believe government should be responsible for assuring all Californians get access to affordable health coverage, according to a new Field Poll.“
In this New Yearâs edition of the Cavalcade of Risk, the Healthcare Economist will make four New Yearâs resolutions. They are: 1) to get better Health Insurance, 2) to promote better Public Policy on health issues, 3) to improve the Health for individuals around the world and 4) to increase societyâs wealth. What does better Health Insurance…
At the beginning of the new year, one often wishes their friends and family for a happy and healthy year. But how does one find happiness? Is this an entirely individualistic experience or are there generalizations that can help people lead a happy life? Many people assume that economists only care about money. This is…
In earlier posts, I have reported on health issues in China—such as the AIDS epidemic in western China and problems of potable water in northern China. Today, the Boston Globe has an interesting report on The graying of China. While China is still relatively young now, the country will age quickly. With the implementation of the…
I would like to thank all my loyal readers for a great year. In just over 11 months, the Healthcare Economist blog has greatly expanded and now attracts over 500 visits (and over 2000 hits) per day. People from all over the world read this blog. The national readership list includes the following countries: Albania,…
One of the basic concepts in statistics is the use mathematically rigorous tests to determine whether or not a researcher can reject their null hypothesis. The null hypothesis is the state of the world the researcher assumes exists. The alternative hypothesis is—as the name suggests—an alternative to the null hypothesis. Through these statistical tests, researchers…
Matt Miller was on NPR’s Marketplace on Tuesday. Miller was advocating the creation of a government controlled health system. While his arguments citing the benefits of nationalized health care are compelling, he does not address some of the drawbacks (e.g.: decreased technological innovation in a single payer system, increased risk of corruption, etc.). The most…
A week ago, we looked at Nichol’s 2003 paper regarding LAIV for healthy working adults. Today we will review the rest of the literature regarding the effectiveness and the economic impact of influenza vaccination for working-aged adults. The seminal work in the literature is written by Nichol and colleagues in the October 1995 edition of…
The Economist magazine has posted its Books of the year list for 2006.