A Grim Update on European Tax Policy
Daniel J. Mitchell
I wrote the other day that Americans, regardless of all the bad policy we get from Washington, should be thankful we’re not stuck in an economic graveyard like Venezuela.
But we also should be happy we’re not Europeans. This is a point I’ve made before, usually accompanied by data showing that Americans have significantly higher living standards than their cousins on the other side of the Atlantic.
It’s now time to re-emphasize that message. The European Commission has issued its annual report on “Taxation Trends” and it is–at least for wonks and others who care about f...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - June 18, 2014 Category: American Health Authors: Daniel J. Mitchell Source Type: blogs
Health Care Spending Spikes: Why?
Recent data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) reveals that during the last three months of 2013, spending on health care rose at an annual rate of 5.3%. The trend continued this year, with spending climbing 6.2% on a year-over-year basis in January and 6.7% in February. Now some of Obamacare’s fiercest critics are saying “I told you so.”
“We knew this was coming,” gloats Douglas Holtz-Eakin, John McCain’s former economic adviser. “The question now is whether we can hold spending down.” It’s worth recalling that Holtz-Eakin, who served as CBO director under George...
Source: Health Beat - April 15, 2014 Category: American Health Authors: Maggie Mahar Tags: beginning of 2014 Bureau of Economic Analysis final quarter of 2013 health care inflation Medicare spending spike in health care spending BEA Douglas Holt-Eakin Drew Altman Larry Levitt Peter Orszag spending slowdown spikes Source Type: blogs
13 important lessons for every leader
by Darlene A. Cunha
What does it take to create a great leader who can survive the neck break pace of healthcare reform? Astute leaders surround themselves with excellence, a team that strives to carry out the mission and vision of the organization, while analyzing ways to continually improve.
But what intangibles make a great leader? While there are hundreds of books on this topic, I always go back to my roots. Some of the basic lessons instilled in me as a child are the same lessons that have supported my growth and success as a leader.
Three years ago, I wrote a book for my three adult sons about the important lesso...
Source: hospital impact - March 26, 2014 Category: Health Managers Authors: Wendy Johnson Source Type: blogs
A Fiscal Lesson from Germany
Daniel J. Mitchell
Germany isn’t exactly a fiscal role model.
Tax rates are too onerous and government spending consumes about 44 percent of economic output.
That’s even higher than it is in the United States, where politicians at the federal, state, and local levels divert about 39 percent of GDP into the public sector.
Germany also has too much red tape and government intervention, which helps to explain why it lags other European nations such as Denmark and Estonia in the Economic Freedom of the World rankings.
But I have (sort of) defended Germany a couple of times, at least on fiscal policy, explaining th...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - March 10, 2014 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Daniel J. Mitchell Source Type: blogs
Socio-economic determinants of health during the economic downturn
London Health Observatory (LHO) - These profiles provide an overview of the socio-economic determinants of health in each London borough during the economic downturn. The indicators included in the profiles are grouped into four domains: employment, economic security, housing, and health and wellbeing.
Profiles
LHO - resources (Source: Health Management Specialist Library)
Source: Health Management Specialist Library - February 18, 2014 Category: UK Health Authors: The King's Fund Information & Knowledge Service Tags: Local authorities, public health and health inequalities Source Type: blogs
