Two recent headlines have created a political stir in the Republican party that has left more than the average voter scratching his head. The first was that the American Legislative Exchange Council and the CATO institute are actively discouraging republican state legislators from implementing health insurance exchanges as required by Obama’s Affordable Care Act (ACA). The … Continue reading
Latest Entries
Focus on the Exchanges
It is important in nearly any political argument to win both the battle of ideas and the battle of substance. In the recent debate over the Affordable Care Act, conservative opponents have done an excellent job of drawing attention to the individual mandate’s circumvention of our basic American liberty to use our resources how we … Continue reading
Super Crunching and Medical Care
Evidence Based Medicine is a simple concept: using evidence and data (on top of intuition) to help inform physicians regarding diagnostics and treatment. Why would any physician object to this practice? It’s not like the data will be taking over their minds, or forcing them to make decisions. Medical data will do what data always … Continue reading
JP Morgan: A Case For More Regulations or Capitalism at Work?
The $3 billion losses reported by JP Morgan have reignited debate over the government’s role in the financial industry. President Obama, along with most that lean left, urged that the JP Morgan fiasco demonstrates a need for more regulatory oversight, whereas likely Republican candidate Mitt Romney took, as expected, the other approach. Romney cautioned law … Continue reading
No Hope for the Little Guys
Unlike the triumphant ending in the age-old tale of David and Goliath, little hope exists for small businesses to successfully battle the giant burden of healthcare provision under the ACA. Several small businesses already face the daunting challenge of skyrocketing costs of health insurance premiums. For example, small businesses pay approximately eighteen percent more than … Continue reading
The Model for New Healthcare Reform?
The United States has the highest health care expenditure per capita ($7,960 in 2009) across all other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. Despite this, the US is ranked twenty-third out of the thirty countries measured in the OECD for mean life expectancy. It is no small secret that the costs of medical … Continue reading
A Subtle Economic Asset: Daddy
A study from the National Fatherhood Initiative estimated the direct cost of fatherhood absence in American homes to be 100 billion dollars per year, all coming from tax-payer’s pockets. “The One Hundred Billion Dollar Man” took into account 13 different benefit programs for child support enforcement for single moms: funds going directly to single parent … Continue reading
Chick Flicks and International Relations
Before I get started here, I should state upfront that I haven’t seen either of these movies, but will nonetheless argue that two recent romantic comedies — “It’s Complicated” (2009) and “He’s Just Not That Into You” (2009) — have a lot to say about US foreign policy. The thing is, you probably don’t have … Continue reading
Using the Principles of Economics to “Fix” Health Care
The phrase “at the margin” refers to the next decision made. Thus, marginal cost is the cost of the next good or service. So the marginal cost of apples is the cost of the next apple purchased. One of the fundamental principles of economics is that rational people think on the margin. That means that … Continue reading
Hugo Chavez Cancer Reportedly in ‘End Stage’
“This reporter has been told that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma, an aggressive cancer that has ‘entered the end stage.’ The information and the quote come from a highly respected source close to Chavez and who is in a position to know his medical condition and history. This source says the prognosis is … Continue reading
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