Unbiased Analysis of Today's Healthcare Issues
The introduction of new treatment technologies typically occurs where there is a large market. A lot of innovations are developed to treat disease that affect a large number of people in the developed world because the financial returns are large. It is less likely to observe innovation in the treatment of rare diseases or diseases…
The before-and-after pictures of the tsunami in Japan are heart-wrenching. And things look to be getting worse. From the New York Times: “With hydrogen gas bubbling up from chemical reactions set off by the hot fuel rods, the storage pond produced a fire and powerful explosion on Tuesday morning that blew a 26-foot-wide hole in…
The cover of The Economist this week looked at America’s budget deficit. According to their estimates, “America’s budget deficit in the fiscal year that ended on September 30th stood at $1.3 trillion; at 9% of GDP, the second-largest since the second world war.” The short run cause of this deficit is the recent severe recession,…
Here is my earlier review of the Japanese healthcare system. Additional information on medical care in Japan is below. Funding The system is largely funded through payroll taxes. Employees pay a larger share of the payroll tax than employers. Insurance is bought from public sector sources. There is no private sector insurance companies. Co-pays…
I just recently returned from my honeymoon in Tokyo, Japan and Bali, Indonesia. One thing anyone visitng Tokyo will notice is that it is very clean . Further, Japan has the most advanced toilets in the world. On the other hand, most Balinese burn their trash. Why is Tokyo so clean when other world cities…
Japan has universal health insurance based around a mandatory, employment-based insurance. “The Employee Health Insurance Program requires all companies with 700 of more employees to provide workers with health insurance among some 1,800 ‘society-managed’ plans. Nearly 85% of these plans cover a single company…Most of the rest of the [health insurance plans] are industry-based.” Small…