When we look at the cost effectiveness of healthcare spending, we could conclude that it is not as excessive as the headlines indicate.…
The Importance of Accurately Estimating When We Will Die
Retirement savings and income depend on the person’s prior income, longevity, the macroeconomic environment, Social Security and other entitlement programs.…
Where Do the Slimmest Americans Live?
Because obesity related diseases increase entitlement spending, should government use penalties rather than incentives to slim the US population?…
Chart of the Week: The Rare Disease Spending Dilemma
Our Sunday Chart of the Week Since our chart looks at Medicaid spending on rare diseases, we better start with Medicaid. It is complicated. Yes, Medicaid targets the poor and has federal and state fun…
When Does it Cost Too Much to Save a Human Life?
Is $1 a day for someone else’s pill too much to pay with your tax dollars? $10? $100? $1,000? Kaiser Health News recently reported that a new treatment for hepatitis C with a 90% success rate wi…
Medicaid: What Will Happen in 2014?
I suspect that the more you study Medicaid the less you know. We better start with by saying Medicaid is not what most of us think it is. Yes, it involves medical care for the poor. But, federal law s…
Big Bird's Issues
All the talk about Big Bird and federal funding is really about 2 much bigger issues. 1. Discretionary Spending With proposed spending in the Obama 2013 budget at 3.7 trillion dollars, a tiny proporti…
Election Economics: What To Know For The First Presidential Debate
Presidential debate moderator Jim Lehrer said there would be six 15-minute segments in the first presidential debate on October 3rd. Devoting the entire first half to “the economy,” he wil…
Election Economics: How Successful is the US Healthcare System?
It might be tough to use statistics to judge US health care. Among OECD countries (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), from 1980 to 1999, for life expectancy, the US ranked #19 and…
Health Care Costs
Looking forward to your daily Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino, you see that the calorie count sign says 500 calories. Change your mind? Most studies indicate that knowing a calorie count has little …