- Over the past two and one-half decades the federal government has buried taxpayers under a mountain of debt, now approaching $38 trillion. During this time the key problem has been spending, not a lack of tax revenue.
- A good explanation of the latest Nobel Prize in economics.
- More on the Nobel.
- Can social connections improve your physical health?
- Hospitals’ ever expanding revenue: Where is the money going?
Category: Doctors & Hospitals
Saturday Links
- Mike Pence: the Trump Administration’s recent approval of the chemical abortion pill mifepristone is a “profound betrayal of the pro-life movement.” (WSJ)
- Could a vaccine prevent the common cold?
- Nate Cohn: Why health care is not a big political issue. (NYT)
- The Aumann Agreement Theorem.
- Obamacare’s broken promises.
- Hanania on Steven Pinker.
- Can AI reduce administrative burdens, physician burnout, associated medical errors?
What Does a Physician Office Visit Cost? It Depends…
How much should your doctor get paid for an office visit? If health insurance were not pervasive, you would probably pay by the minute. However, primary care physicians’ fees are not necessarily based on time. Rather, they are reimbursed based on billing codes for various tasks while examining you.
Should Nonprofit Hospitals Do More to Earn Their Tax Exemption?
There are nearly 3,000 nonprofit hospitals in the United States. Keep in mind, nonprofit status is a tax election. It does not mean a hospital is not trying to earn a profit. Rather, it means a hospital is trying to either: a) break even by spending its profits on a charitable mission, or b) plowing profits back into expansion. Hospitals tend to do the latter, rather than the former.