Thursday, July 09, 2009

And it didn't break.



Just set it back up, screw in another light bulb, put the shade back on and its good as new.

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Care or Cost? Is the problem Health Care or Health Insurance?

A recent NewYorker article reviewed health care in an article entitled "The Cost Conundrum". The linked www.thehealthcareblog.com analyzed this article and came up with a different take on the data after correcting for demographic and baseline health differences.

In essence the NewYorker article is a classic, although plausible, hit job on the "rich" doctors which draws the conclusion that it is a corrupt medical establishment, determined to exploit the system, that has driven up the costs. The medical establishment has done this by investing in surgical centers, lithotriptors, CT scanners and other medical facilities and equipment. They then greedily refer and prescribe the services of these facilities to their unwitting patients. Subsequently they are paid by medicare or Blue Cross or another insurer and thus leverage the system to their own selfish advantage.

Whenever I find a group vilified for an epidemic problem I am curious about the research, the political leanings and personal background of the author and the logic of the conclusion.. in approximately that order. My background is in history and I have noticed that one's personal history has a habit of forming the axiomatic basis for reasoning.
Read more after the jump: