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• Why are there so few vaccine suppliers?

  February 7, 2012 in Contagious Disease, Pharmaceuticals, Regulation, Supply of Medical Services, Vaccinations

  In many cases, only a handful of suppliers produce vaccines for a given disease.  In fact, for several vaccine types the U.S. has fewer suppliers than countries with a smaller market and a higher level of government purchase. One reason for this finding could be strict government regulation.  All vaccines must be approved by the [...]

• Have States made any progress towards implementing Health Exchanges?

  February 6, 2012 in CHIP, Health Reform, Medicaid

  The answer depends on the state. Today, I examine an Urban Institute research paper that looks at this progress in more detail. Dividing States into 3 Group The most advance States fall into Group 1 (CA, CO, CT, DC, HI, IN, MA, MD, NV, OR, RI, UT, VT, WA, WV). These states have either enacted [...]

• Celebrity Product Endorsement in the 1800s

  February 3, 2012 in Books, Quotation

  “The first customers bough pairs of telephones for communication point to point: between a factory and its business office, for example.  Queen Victory installed one at Windsor Castle and one at Buckingham Palace (fabricated in ivory; a gift from the savvy [Alexander Graham] Bell.” from The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood by James [...]

• The Latest Health Wonk Review is up

  February 2, 2012 in Carnivals, Current Events

  Check out the latest edition of the Health Wonk Review at the Colorado Health Insurance Insider.  If the HWR hasn’t fulfilled your need to read, here are some additional links of interest as well. Hospital room vs. chain saw. Hand Egg. The Tax Foundation: Which states are best for business? Is America in Decline? “‘Patient [...]

• How much is rent in your area?

  February 1, 2012 in Data, Medicare, Physician Compensation

  The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is responsible for answering just that question.  To determine what level Section 8 vouchers should be set, HUD measures the rents for every county across the nation.  Specifically, they measure the 40th percentile and 50th percentile (i.e., median) rents in each area.  They choose to use the [...]