The Physician Banker

On Monday, the World Bank announced that its new president would be American Jim Yong Kim. Unlike previous World Bank Presidents, who typically have economics, finance or business backgrounds, Kim is a physician who built his reputation developing public health programs for poor countries. Not everyone likes the decision. A physician with a doctorate in anthropology,…

What is an ISBN?

You may have seen on Amazon or near the UPC of your book an ISBN.  What is an ISBN?  Can it be any number?  Why does the Healthcare Economist care? Answers are provided below. What is an ISBN? According to Wikipedia: “The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a unique numeric commercial book identifier based…

Wednesday Links

Get a workout for your brain cells by reading these articles. Mandates vs. free-riders. Is income inequality really increasing? Drug-resistant malaria. Relative size of the ACA’s Medicaid expansion. Truth, Lies and Controversy. Where do people go when they drop out of the labor force? Why Mark Cuban is full of it.

Health Claims Data Warehouse

The Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program provides employee health benefits are provided to civilian government employees.  In 2012, federal employees had a choice of 206 health plans. These plans include: 14 fee for service plans (10 available to all eligible federal employees and retirees and 4 open to employees in certain agencies); 164 HMO…