Unbiased Analysis of Today's Healthcare Issues
On Thursday I mentioned the Treasury Department’s plan to turn over some of the collection of delinquent taxes to private companies. In most modern societies of the Western world, tax collectors are salaried employees of the state. This was not always the case. A 2006 paper by Cosgel and Miceli aims to create a model…
The New York Times reports (“IRS Enlists Help…“) that the Internal Revenue Service will begin to subcontract collection of delinquent tax payments to private firms. The article states: “…the I.R.S. will turn over data on 12,500 taxpayers — each of whom owes $25,000 or less in back taxes — to three collection agencies. Larger debtors…
What happens to farmers in developed nations when they or their family members get sick? Typically, much of a farmer’s savings is tied up in illiquid assets (land, crops, fertilizer, etc.) and the farmer turns to the town money lender. Since there is less competition for loans in rural areas, the money lender can charge…
Tuberculosis is the world’s deadliest curable, infectious disease. According to the World Health Organization TB report, there were 8.9 million new TB cases in 2003. Over 1.7 million people die of the ailment, 90 percent of them in developing countries. Africa has the highest incidence of TB with 2.8 million cases in 2003, but even…
If your life has been in a rut lately and you wish for some inspiration in your life, I have the perfect book recommendation: Mountains beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. The book is about Paul Farmer, a world renowned infectious disease physician who has dedicated his life to improving the quality of health care in…