I’ve been waiting for estimates of what the impact of a pandemic would be. Although the swine flu has now been elevated by the WHO to pandemic status, it’s far too early to say what that might mean in costs, both lives and dollar costs. Moody’s has made a first cut. From the Financial Times: […]
Read more...How dare the CEO of Wal-Mart, the company that makes such a studied practice of paying workers so badly that taxpayers subsidize its prices, say he and big business should influence health care policy? The US has the most costly healthcare in the world while failing to produce materially better results than countries with varying […]
Read more...The headline above comes from the UK’s Independent. I could have picked number of variants (BBC, “Anti-depressants ‘of little use‘,” Financial Times, “Antidepressants ‘have no impact‘”), but what is interesting is that as of this hour, this study, published by the University of Hull, is getting MSM coverage solely in the UK and Commonwealth countries. […]
Read more...It’s popular to beat up on the drug industry these days, but it is a deserving target. The prices drug companies charge in the US are outlandish; most of their so-called research is on “new drug applications.” But over 80% of those are other uses of existing drugs. For instance, Wellbutrin, an anti-depressant, is also […]
Read more...In case you had any doubts about the efficacy of US medical spending… From UCSC, via Barry Ritholtz.
Read more...A 2002 article by Michael Prowse in the Financial Times addressed the question, “Is Inequality Good for You?” Normally, discussion of that topic involves issues of equity and efficiency. Those of a liberal bent contend that unequal societies undermine the legitimacy of authority. Those on the right argue that people are unequal, therefore results will […]
Read more...The Los Angeles Times reports that California’s $250,000 cap on pain and suffering awards in medical malpractice lawsuits has proved to be more beneficial to doctors and insurers than legislators may have intended. Not only does the law reduce the amount of damages, but it has had the effect of deterring lawsuits, particularly involving elderly […]
Read more...Ooof, talk about dispelling the illusion that anyone will take care of the aged. There has been ample comment about the need to reform Social Security. However, the real problem on the retirement entitlements front is Meidcare. Paul Krugman and Dean Baker, among others, have pointed out at length that alarming increases forecast for Medicare […]
Read more...Readers invited to contribute: Once simple commercial relationship (doctor-patient, lender-borrower) made complex in the pursuit of efficiency System increasingly looks to be broken, yet degree of specialization and integration makes it difficult to launch reform/improvement programs Incumbents argue that change will stifle innovation Many middlemen add costs that critics argue are out of proportion to […]
Read more...The reputation of drug companies has taken a beating in recent years. Their prices have risen much faster than inflation (except for last year, when generics had some impact), makes them almost universally suspect. The industry’s claim that its fat margins are warranted by its investment in research doesn’t bear much inspection. 45% of drug […]
Read more...The New York Times today, in “More Profit and Less Nursing at Many Homes,” describes the often shameful behavior of private equity owners of nursing homes towards their charges: Some excerpts: As such investors have acquired nursing homes, they have often reduced costs, increased profits and quickly resold facilities for significant gains. But by many […]
Read more...An Associated Press story via the Washington Post reports that studies have found that implanted chips have induced cancers in some rats and mice. This is another blow to the use of RFID technology for human identification. It’s also encountering opposition on privacy grounds. California passed a law last week anyone from “compelling” another to […]
Read more...You may have heard the saying, “Just because you are paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you.” There ought to be a similar formulations for other forms of distress, such as, “Just because you are neurotic doesn’t mean there aren’t good reasons to be worried.” Today the neurotics got affirmation that widely held […]
Read more...As someone with an elderly parent who takes a huge amount of costly medication to treat risk factors like high blood pressure rather than real diseases, I’ve been suspicious that this approach is less effective than claimed. And I have been particularly leery of the enthusiasm for statins (which lower cholesterol) which some cardiologists have […]
Read more...Grim news for the high-tech, health-minded set: office printers can emit micro particles that damage the lungs. From the BBC: The humble office laser printer can damage lungs in much the same way as smoke particles from cigarettes, a team of Australian scientists has found. An investigation of a range of printer models showed that […]
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