Unbiased Analysis of Today's Healthcare Issues
The Center for Global Development has an interesting measure of how much twenty one first world countries are helping their counterparts in the developing world. The measure is named the Commitment to Development Index (CDI). The index ranks each country the basis of seven categories: aid, trade, investment, migration, the environment, security and technology. More…
The New York Times reports today (“…Guidelines…“) that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued new guidelines on how to prevent or mitigate an influenza pandemic. Some of the major non-pharmaceutical interventions are: Asking ill persons to remain at home or not go to work until they are no longer contagious (seven…
An interesting article in the New York Times’ Sunday Magazine (“Unhappy Meals“) tells readers not to worry about fat levels, getting your daily protein or carb counting. Michael Pollan, the author, claims that nutritionism in American has lead to less healthy, more obese Americans; instead we should simplify our eating habits. Most nutritionist studies examine…
The future of Social Security is in question. Even Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke warns of the rapidly approaching Social Security “fiscal crisis.”. Individuals at the beginning or middle of their prime working years are unsure of how large (or small) their Social Security benefits will be when they retire. An NBER working paper by…
The Cavalcade of Risk #18 is up at one of my favorite websites: Joe Paduda’s Managed Care Matters blog.
For researchers who are planning on presenting research posters in the near future, Jane Miller (2007) has an excellent capacity-building article in this month’s edition of the Health Services Research (HSR) journal. Miller’s advice covers all the major facets of the poster presentation: poster design, concise phrasing of statistical methodologies, the narrative to accompany the…
The Reason magazine makes an compelling argument in favor of mandatory private health insurance (“Mandatory Health Insurance Now!“). A subsidy could help all individuals to afford the insurance. Some of the funds for this subsidy could be raised by eliminating the tax-deductibility of health insurance. This program funnels more than $140 billion a year in…
In 2005, approximately 114 million visits were made by Americans to the hospital emergency departments. Of these, more than eighty percent concluded with a discharge and a recommendation for follow-up care. Receiving prompt and adequate post-ER care is imperative for the resolution of many illnesses and temporary disabilities. Is timely care available for these patients?…
Many studies have looked at which variables determine medical utilization rates. Specifically, most of the studies have focused on primary care or general practitioner (GP) visits. A recent study by Nolan (2007) employs panel data from Ireland to reach some new conclusions on this topic. Ireland is an interesting location to preform the study. All…
The Health Wonk Review has been posted at the Health Affairs blog.