by reader Run “Great Benefit is like a Giant Slot Machine that never pays off”. The RainMaker, John Grisham Private Healthcare Insurance companies paid off for those from whom they can profit. The rest of us who are costly because of age, disorders, or illness are bound to find ourselves without private insurance and too […]
By Spencer Michael Mandel at Businessweek had a post on the subject of where are health care costs rising the fastest. http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/economicsunbound/archives/2009/09/where_are_healt.htm In the post he posted this table and used it as the basis for making comparisons of the growth of health care spending in various countries. But the analysis is flawed. Note it […]
rdanText of President Obama’s speech to Wall Street in the New York Times is in the link. No pun intended…much. Mark Thoma carries the video. Few bloggers write extensive comments (Stiglitz an exception) except appear to be saying good bye to meaningful regulation. Barney Frank says regulation can happen by the end of November. Let […]
Robert Waldmann I am trying to read John Cochrane’s comments on Paul Krugman’s article on why economists got it so wrong. I tend to get upset while reading. I have managed to get through the first paragraph in which Cochrane compares Krugman to someone who denies that HIV causes AIDS and compares developments in economics […]
Via a former editor’s Twitter feed, the Simon Fraser Institute decides to segment the costs of Canadian health care. For the good of the people, of course: It is critically important, however, that Canadians understand the true cost of Medicare. Armed with a more meaningful estimate, Canadians will be able to better assess whether or […]
Via Dr. Black, CR describes Washington, D.C. real estate as “the commercial version of the subprime situation.” Two points: CR knows better, most of the time, than to believe that there was a “subprime situation” in any sense other than “We Are All Subprime Now.” [edited for tone] Possibly more importantly, Washington, D.C., is one […]
Ken Houghton is talkin’ about his generation. Pete Davis, Mark Thoma (who at least has the decency to phrase it in the form of a question), N. Gregory Mankiw, and Brad DeLong explain why there should not be any penalties against providers of West Virginia water (h/t Bitch). Because fungible is fungible, even if it […]
by divorced one like Bush Gather all around the camp fire and enjoy your marsh mellow toasting as I tell you the fable of the “The Guitar Player who sold his gear”. Long ago in a far away land of rock and roll there was a young man who played well. Not great, wasn’t going […]
Robert Waldmann I am actually commenting on a snippet with a useless link here. Professor Krugman’s article, like much of his journalism, was hastily drafted and factually incorrect. [skip] One of the most humorous aspects of the article was its view that the efficient markets hypothesis was at the heart of the inability to see […]
rdan Hat tip Noni Mausa: Tom Toles in the Washington Post offers us a grim reminder of the average persons’ problems and anticipations: