But what about those high administrative costs? According to The Commonwealth Fund, the share of hospital costs devoted to administration is 25% in the US, compared to 20% in The Netherlands, 16% in England, and just 12% in Canada. That sounds pretty damning, but it’s important to remember that administrative costs are often unrelated to insurance matters or are dual-purpose.
We want the pharma wolf to be healthy - not fat and not lean. Robust enough to survive inevitable dips in revenue. So how much could the US cut drug prices without undermining ongoing innovation in the industry?
Most Americans support “Medicare-for-all”, at least when described very broadly as "a publicly financed, privately delivered system with all Americans enrolled and all medically necessary services covered." But would they support Bernie Sander’s Medicare-for-all plan if well-informed of its details? Let’s look at some of those details, starting with what would be covered and how costs would be controlled. This straight from Bernie's online description…
So, what is the Green New Deal? The Deal referred to in the survey is one championed by Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, available here. Some pertinent excerpts…
Survey respondents were shown a brief description of what is being called the “Green New Deal”, followed by the question, “How much do you support or oppose this idea?” Here’s the description…
But how is it that we are getting more energy consumption with fewer emissions? Type of fuel, for one: some fuels emit more than others. Speaking of which, charts!
So how is the world doing in decoupling CO2 emissions from economic growth and energy use? The beginnings of an answer in three charts….
Subprime loans did not become a significant part of the mortgage market until the 1990s. They were just 8% of the market in 2002….However, subprime mortgages did rise to about 20% of new home loans by 2006. How many of these were the result of predatory practices?
Most employers are having trouble filling job openings these days. The economy’s just too hot. But labor shortages have existed in some occupations for years - even during the Great Recession and its immediate aftermath. Consider…
There are Job-Jobs and then there are Career-Jobs. If you’re trying to decide on a Career-Job, chances are you’ve looked into typical wages of various occupations. Problem is, “typical” is a pretty meaningless term. Websites will likely steer you to “median” wages , meaning the midpoint of the wage distribution, i.e., half the job holders earn less, half earn more. But if you’re truly looking for a career - by which I mean an occupation you want to hold at least ten years - then you have to look at the whole pay range.
To simplify a whole lot, there are two schools of thought about why people do what they do. One is that people can’t help it because behavior is an outcome of things that they have no control over, like culture, childhood trauma…The other school of thought says behavior is always “on-purpose”. In other words, behavior is goal-directed - by definition. We therefore choose what we do according to the perceived payoff: what we’re trying to achieve or avoid.
The Headline: Friendly policies keep US oil and coal afloat far more than we thought: Most energy subsidies go not to renewables but to producing more of the dirty stuff by David Roberts/Vox Jul 26, 2018
But uncertainty doesn’t mean to wait and do nothing until the future is clear. Uncertainty means you move forward and make adjustments as the future reveals itself. Which means you want to avoid doing things that reduce the scope of action later on.
“…climate-ready, ecosystem-based fisheries management can help reduce the impacts of some anticipated changes and increase resilience under changing conditions. There is now a national strategy for integrating climate information into fishery decision-making…”
…Natural and nature-based infrastructure projects such as the Colley Bay living shoreline have improved water quality, mitigated erosion, and restored habitats. Additional planned projects include constructing berms, reclaiming filled waterways and wetlands, and raising roads and structures.
In that spirit, the remainder of this series will consist of brief excerpts from NCA4-II on existing or proposed adaptations to the effects of climate change. Without further ado…
Per Climate Action Tracker (CAT), current US emission trends are actually within “striking distance” of the initial Paris Agreement targets for 2020 and 2025, despite Trump’s rhetoric and the US not even being a signatory to the Agreement. This unexpected progress is thanks to “subnational” and nongovernmental actors, such as states, cities, businesses, nonprofits and others. Yes, it would be great if the federal government were on board. And, yes, we need to do a lot more…
Of course, few people want to settle for a low-wage job. So what’s a non-college graduate to do? One thing is to complete a certificate job training program, which can almost double the earning potential of individuals without a high school diploma. Check it out:…
I have noticed these differences in the manner of veterinarians and physicians for years. Why the difference? Is it a matter of workload and stress? Status and power? How much can’t be helped and how much is a choice? How much is related to different incentives and payment systems?
Another way of putting this: focus on the process and uncertainty spurs you on; focus on the outcome and uncertainty makes you stumble.