Showing archive for: “Public Goods & Regulation in Health Economics”
The non-constitutional problem with a health care mandate
There’s been much teeth-gnashing following yesterday’s ruling by a Virginia judge that the “individual mandate” portion of Obamacare is unconstitutional. Among many other places, see the ongoing discussion at The Volokh Conspiracy. I have a quick, non-constitutional response. It seems to me that there is a basic, deep problem with prohibiting citizens from opting out ... The non-constitutional problem with a health care mandate
McDonald’s, Mini-Meds, and Medical Loss Ratios: What’s to come, and what can Sebelius do about it?
Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal ran an article entitled McDonald’s May Drop Health Plan. The article reported that “McDonald’s Corp. has warned federal regulators that it could drop its health insurance plan for nearly 30,000 hourly restaurant workers unless regulators waive a new requirement of the U.S. health overhaul.” The insurance plan at issue is ... McDonald’s, Mini-Meds, and Medical Loss Ratios: What’s to come, and what can Sebelius do about it?
The dark side of altruism
Have you ever been tempted to buy a beggar a cup of coffee or a sandwich instead of giving money? If so, you have, like a young Anakin Skywalker, taken your first step to the dark side of altruism. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been there too. The reason I offered food instead of (money ... The dark side of altruism
An Honest Question for Obamacare Supporters
A number of opponents of Obamacare, such as Wall Street Journal columnist William McGurn, have criticized the President and his people for referring to pending proposals as “health insurance reform” rather than “health care reform.” I suppose these critics think the President is engaging in a sleight of hand in an effort to minimize the ... An Honest Question for Obamacare Supporters
Here Come the Price Controls
As Todd mentioned, the Obama Administration has released its latest plan for regulating (and mandating) health insurance. The new plan includes a novel element: the creation of a seven-member Health Insurance Rate Authority that would issue an annual schedule of “reasonable” rate increases. Increases deemed unjustified could be blocked, and insurers that imposed unjustified rate ... Here Come the Price Controls
Thoughts on "The Small Bill"
Writing in the Weekly Standard, Jeffrey Anderson offers an alternative to Obamacare (or should we call it Pelosireidcare?). The seven provisions in the “Small Bill” seem sensible to this nonexpert. Allowing insurance to be sold interstate is likely to bring down costs and improve service — wouldn’t some competition from Geico Health Insurance be a ... Thoughts on "The Small Bill"
Will the Public Insurance Plan Be a Predator?
Wall Street Journal columnist Thomas Frank inhabits a simple little world in which private enterprise, in its relentless pursuit of profit (i.e., charging more for something than it’s worth), is consistently a force for evil, and government, populated by wise and benevolent folk who have eschewed riches in favor of public service (see, e.g., Ted ... Will the Public Insurance Plan Be a Predator?
Thaler’s Unsound Argument About the Public Insurance Option
University of Chicago economist (and behavioralist doyen) Richard Thaler thinks “the question of whether a ‘public option’ should be part of the health care solution” is just “one big distraction.” In Sunday’s New York Times, Thaler argues that the debate over the public option is a “red herring” if, as President Obama insists, the public ... Thaler’s Unsound Argument About the Public Insurance Option
Antitrust and Health Care
Barak Richman (Duke) and James Blumstein (Vanderbilt) have an interesting exchange at PENNumbra, University of Pennsylvania School of Law’s online forum for debate surrounding scholarship in the U. Penn. L. Rev. Here’s the abstract from Professor Richman’s article: Courts reviewing proposed mergers of nonprofit hospitals have too often abandoned the bedrock principles of antitrust law, ... Antitrust and Health Care
Our "Protective" FDA
The FDA, it seems, is rejecting more new drugs. The agency approved only 61 percent of 2007 drug applications through mid-August, down from 73 percent in the same period last year. A new report by James Kumpel of Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co. shows that FDA approvals of drugs made from new chemical compounds are ... Our "Protective" FDA
Medical Self-Defense, Organ Markets, and the Poor
Eugene Volokh has posted a series discussing his new article (forthcoming in Harvard L. Rev.) “Medical Self-Defense, Prohibited Experimental Therapies, and Payment for Organs,” which I point out because the article claims that bans on organ payments violate patients’ medical self-defense rights. As readers of TOTM know, organ markets are a topic of substantial interest ... Medical Self-Defense, Organ Markets, and the Poor
Organ Markets, Social Justice, and the Poor: A Reply to Professor Pasquale
Frank Pasquale at Madisonian is concerned that organ markets do not show enough concern for the poor. He writes: I’d be more sympathetic to the economic approach to the topic if it showed a bit more concern for the plight of those unable to pay for organs (and for the very poor in LDC’s whose ... Organ Markets, Social Justice, and the Poor: A Reply to Professor Pasquale
