Category Archives: Healthcare

Social Security and Medicare Are DOOMED! Or Maybe Not

Posted on June 6, 2013 by

Last week, the Social Security and Medicare Trustees reports were released. As many have noted, the two funds are predicted to have pay out more than their dedicated taxes raise in about two decades. Same as it ever was. Regular … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Healthcare, Social Security | 1 Comment

Krugman Is Overly Optimistic About Obamacare: The Difference Between Better and Good

Posted on May 30, 2013 by

Paul Krugman seems very optimistic about Obamacare. I hope he’s right but I think he’s far too sanguine about the pitfalls. In fact, I don’t think he’s right about the potential problems: What can still go wrong? Well, Obamacare is … Continue reading →

Posted in Healthcare | 6 Comments

Purchasing Pundits: The Ezra Klein Edition?

Posted on April 11, 2013 by

So this came across the Twitterz recently: How much is the insurance industry paying Ezra Klein? benefitssellingexpo.com/speakertypes/2… Probably $15,000-$25,000 washingtonspeakers.com/speakers/speak…— Jamison Foser (@jamisonfoser) April 09, 2013 If you don’t follow the links, Washington Post policy blogger Ezra Klein is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Ethics, Healthcare, News Media, Progressives, Public Speaking

The Congressional Analysis Bubble

Posted on April 7, 2013 by

One of the many terrifying things about our political system is that it’s largely run by underinformed twenty-somethings also known as Congressional staffers (for the record, informed twenty-somethings are perfectly fine). They essentially serve as gatekeepers and most of them, … Continue reading →

Posted in Healthcare

Obamacare, Still Stretching the Concept of Affordable

Posted on March 30, 2013 by

This is why we needed, at the very least a public option, if not single payer healthcare (boldface mine): Starting next year, Obamacare will require companies that employ more than 50 full-time workers to provide health insurance to employees who … Continue reading →

Posted in Healthcare | 1 Comment

But There Is a Name For Idiot White Men Who Drift Into Power

Posted on March 9, 2013 by

We call them conservative southern politicians. Amanda Marcotte writes (boldface mine): I’m beginning to think we need a new term for white male Republicans whose gender, party, and skin color allows them to drift into positions that hold a lot … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatives, Healthcare, Racism | 4 Comments

So I Really Did Get Overcharged for a Saline IV

Posted on February 27, 2013 by

By now, you might have come across this Time article by Stephen Brill about the completely ridiculous price scheme in our medical non-system. Here’s one example (boldface mine): The top billing categories were $73,376 for Scott’s room; $94,799 for “RESP … Continue reading →

Posted in Big Shitpile, Healthcare | 2 Comments

‘Affordable’ Obamacare

Posted on February 12, 2013 by

This gets tiresome. Three years ago, I predicted, based on the Massachusetts experience with Romneycare, that mandatory healthcare without extensive subsidies would make healthcare unaffordable for too many people. And so it goes: The problem seems to be the way … Continue reading →

Posted in Healthcare | 1 Comment

The Copayment Canard

Posted on January 25, 2013 by

There is no institution that symbolizes unnecessary rent extraction (taking a cut for no reason) than the health insurance sector (it’s not an industry as it doesn’t actually produce anything useful). The most ridiculous part of our health insurance system … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Healthcare | 6 Comments

Why Medical Tourism Is a Really Dangerous Idea: The CRE Edition

Posted on December 27, 2012 by

I’m usually a big fan of economist Dean Baker. Since the mid-1990s, he has been debunking much of the Social Security and Medicare misinformation pumped out by conservative faith-tanks; he was also one of the few and first people to … Continue reading →

Posted in Antibiotics, Healthcare, KPC, NDM-1, Public Health | 4 Comments