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

Taxes, Postage, and Medicare Updates

Initiative and Program Updates that have come into being in 2024 and also 2025 under the Biden Administration impacting Elderly Economics. The reporting is by AARP. Some of those who have passed into history that caught my eye too. Federal Income Tax Brackets for 2025 In the U.S. tax system, income tax rates are graduated, […]

Medicare-for-all-lite

I miss my fellow writer Maggie Mahar who had an excellent view of what HealthCare should be like. Merrill offers up a similar view. In this review, he takes down “We’ve Got You Covered: Rebooting American Health Care,” by authors Liran Einav and Amy Finkelstein. The issue? Proposing the creation of a universal, government-funded health plan […]

Economic Stimulus Over the Last Four Years and the Results of It

Yep! I think the people are correct though about the inflationary actions of Biden during the PANDEMIC when the nation shut down and people were not working. The administration should not have doled out money in multiple Economic Stimulus packages during the pandemic. All those deficit spending and inflation . . . oh my! We […]

Why I anticipate a blue wave

Infidel’s commentary as taken from his blog Infidel753 Last week I posted on why the country needs a Democratic landslide.  This post is about the reasons why I think it’s most likely there will actually be one.  Those reasons why are, of course, the meat of the matter — anybody can claim to believe something, but the important […]

Economic stress in higher education

You might think universities would be immune to the financial pressures of the non-academic marketplace. You would be wrong. Brandeis University is struggling financially, and recently fired their resident string quartet, the Lydian String Quartet* after 40 years, to save $275,000. Other universities that, unlike Brandeis, have medical schools, are also struggling with their budgets. […]

The economics of medicine: personal reflections

When I was growing up, I viewed being a physician as the zenith of achievement for someone interested in science. That changed when I got to college and became interested in research. I realized I didn’t have the temperament for a physician (OK, maybe a radiologist or a pathologist) and I became a lab rat. […]

Can Retail Business Implement Primary Healthcare?

The question here is whether primary care can be commercialized more so than what it has been to date? Will profitability deliver a better healthcare model? Who will it serve? Can it survive without large healthcare institutions and hospitals supporting it? It might given where its location and the costs of utilizing it. Can Primary […]

Medicare Part D Increases

A heads up on changes to Part D in 2025. Some you already know as a $2000 cap on Meds Part D. Premiums may increase. There is a chance for subsidies. Read on . . . These increases in Medicare part D premiums are for 2025 Medicare, a federal health insurance program, is vital for […]

Candidates’ Stances on Healthcare Issues, including Drug Pricing, Medicaid and AI

The article is talking around the issues. The country is calling on former drug company management to assist in taking down an industry giant. It probably will not succeed as many of these experts still have ties to the industry and the companies employing them. Think Azar . . . Pharma companies were using “value-based” […]

Medicare Doctor Payment System is Not Keeping Up with Inflation

There is a story here somewhere, I have to look at it a bit closer in what Medicare is doing. As you can see expenditures in the US are double or more than what occurs in other countries. Yet, the US life expectancy is less than other countries. It appears there is a cut which […]