Until recently, the state of North Carolina, where I live, was a bastion of political moderation, especially compared to our neighbors in the southeast. Our politics were moderate in part because the Democratic Party remained relatively strong in the state, and to survive in this region of the country had embraced center left, rather than…
As anyone who has followed the Obamacare roller coaster over the past 4 years knows, passing legislation is only the first step in reforming a healthcare system. Since Obamacare came into law, we have been consumed by battles over how to implement it, and by struggles over how to make it work effectively. But such…
The American Society of Clinical Oncology is one of the leading specialty organizations for physicians who take care of patients with cancer. A reporter from ASCO just wrote a nice piece, in which she questioned me to go into more detail about the challenge of discussing cost of care with oncology patients. I thought I…
Several people have asked me lately whether I think that death row inmates should be able to donate their organs before they die. In effect, to commit suicide through organ donation. Culminating in donation of the heart, of course. They are going to be executed anyway, why not bring benefits to others en route? I see…
According to traditional economic theory, when people perform jobs for pay, they decide whether the pay they receive is large enough to justify the effort they put into the task at hand. But what if someone else is doing the same work for more pay? They probably won’t feel so great about their jobs anymore,…
Lyndon Johnson’s advisers were worried. They were drafting a Medicare proposal, a major component of Johnson’s war on poverty. But the cost of this program was turning out to be much larger than expected. By their estimates, in the first year alone, they would face $400 million more in expenditures than they had budgeted for….
The Obamacare health insurance exchanges have been up and running for only a few months now, with a semi-functioning website active for even less time than that. So it is far too early to tell who will benefit and who will be harmed as the law continues to unfold. In the absence of solid data,…
Tired of all those family newsletters that inundate you with overwhelming detail on all the amazing accomplishments of your friends’ children? I thought I would address that issue, in my latest edition of my own family newsletter. Hope you enjoy: Ubel/Greeno Annual Holiday Letter.
On October 10, 1952, President Dwight Eisenhower gave a speech in Salt Lake City in which he reiterated his opposition to socialized medicine. In fact, he had long asserted that he would “use every single attribute and influence of the Presidential office to defeat any move toward socialized medicine.” But Ike also recognized that all…
In a recent post, I argued that Obamacare – a.k.a. The Affordable Care Act – improves the economic marketplace because it levels the playing field, between employers who do and do not offer health insurance to their employees. Now comes a new study contending that Obamacare also improves the marketplace, by promoting entrepreneurship. I thought I…