Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

Trump administration’s Impact on the ACA and the marketplace: (Part 1)

The Trump administration and the ACA marketplace: An assessment (Part 1), xpostfactoid, Andrew Sprung. In the wake of Trump’s vow to repeal the ACA if elected, Larry Levitt, EVP of health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, outlines the former president’s past and purported future healthcare agenda. Trump certainly meant harm to the ACA. His comments […]

Renewables 2023, Analysis and forecast to 2028

Renewables 2023, Analysis and forecast to 2028. IEA, Paris Executive Summary I did this before with the IEA. Sent the IEA a few emails establishing what Angry Bear could and could not use. Attributing the analysis I have posted here was one of the requirements. With their permission, I can bring to Angry Bear much […]

New home sales and YoY prices change little; expect sideways trend to follow similar recent trend in mortgage rates

New home sales and YoY prices change little; expect sideways trend to follow similar recent trend in mortgage rates  – by New Deal democrat This week we conclude January’s housing market data with repeat sales prices tomorrow, and new single family home sales, which were reported this morning. Per my usual caveat, while new home […]

Rein in Misuse of Medical Prior Authorizations

Factual story, not quite a year old. and more than likely still, still having relevance. Prior authorizations for care before getting it should not be problematic. Prior authorization should have been far easier. Except some healthcare insurance use delays to discourage patients. Indeed. one would think no more than 24 hours would be needed for […]

Is More Work Better? Think Again?

Is More Work Better? Think Again? The freedom of free time, branded as unproductive “leisure,” gets no respect. Originally published at Wealth Economics This post is prompted by a recent tweet from the excellent Joey Politano, but it’s not singling out Joey in particular. “We could be working so much more.” It’s hard to come away with […]

Clueless in Gaza II

“U.S. officials say they believe Hamas has been constrained by the Israeli operations, but that Israel will not be able to achieve, in the foreseeable future, its goal of eliminating the group’s military capability.” also “An Israeli military intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity under military protocol, said that Israel was engaged in […]

The Facts Don’t Care About Your Honor’s Feelings

His honor assumes a fact not in evidence. Ruth Marcus has an important op-ed which cites strong evidence that the party of the president who nominated federal judges helps one predict their opinions. I will fair use the important part. “Now comes an intriguing study by a Harvard Law School professor that buttresses my point: If anything, […]

The “gold standard” of employment reports suggests that last summer’s job growth was even weaker than we thought

The “gold standard” of employment reports suggests that last summer’s job growth was even weaker than we thought  – by New Deal democrat While the monthly jobs report gets all the headlines, the “gold standard” for actual employment gains and losses is the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), which as its name indicates, […]

Chasing the mosquito man’s truck

Remember chasing the mosquito man’s truck? silive.com, Cassy Sommer  During the fifties and sixties, it was not unusual to see trucks spraying DDT near heavily wooded and swampy areas. I certainly do not recall kids running behind truck spraying the areas. Some claim this was a common practice. My aunts and mom would have had […]