Wait — Robots Work But I Get Paid
By KIM BELLARD
We’re not through the
COVID-19 pandemic. We’re probably not even near the end of the beginning
yet. That hasn’t stopped many pundits to start speculating about how our
society (and our healthcare system) are likely to be permanently changed as a result,
such as continued reliance on telecommuting and telemedicine.
OK, I’ll play too: I
believe we need to greatly expand the role of robots, and begin something that
resembles Universal Basic Income (UBI). They’re not the only changes that
may result, but they are two that should.
Robots
We&#...
Source: The Health Care Blog - April 14, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: COVID-19 Health Tech Kim Bellard robots Source Type: blogs
Private Schools Face an Existential Threat
Neal McCluskeyEven in terrific economic times, we hear the drumbeat that public schools areunderfunded. When there are downturns it gets even louder – in the Great Recession we heard a lot about “cutting to the bone. ” But public schools do not tend to face the harshest consequences of bad economic times. Private schools do.Private schools start behind the eight ball no matter what the economic conditions because they are competing against public institutions that get massive subsidies from taxpayers and are free from the perspective of consumers.It is, of course, extremely difficult to compete against “free” be...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - April 13, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: Neal McCluskey Source Type: blogs
State Rainy Day Funds
Chris EdwardsThe COVID-19 crisis and resulting recession will strain state government budgets. Unlike the federal government, the states are required to balance their general fund budgets each year. As the economy shrinks, state income and sales tax revenues will fall and budget gaps will rise.One way to fill budget gaps is to use state rainy day funds, which are also called budget stabilization funds. All states have such funds, but the mechanisms vary. The rules for fund deposits, withdrawals, and maximum fund sizes differ between the states. Some funds are constitutional and others are statutory. Reports byNCSL,Tax Foun...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - April 13, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: Chris Edwards Source Type: blogs
COVID-19: Will the disease or the cure cause more death?
There have been increasing statements in the media to the effect that, for the COVID-19 pandemic,“the cure is worse than the disease,” and that the economic impact of the drastic and widespread quarantines will cause a severe recession that will result in excess deaths. This is very unlikely, as the overall U.S. mortality from […]Find jobs at Careers by KevinMD.com. Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now. Learn more. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - April 5, 2020 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/craig-goolsby-raphaelle-h-rodzik-nicole-dacuyan-faucher-keke-schuler-thomas-kirsch" rel="tag" > Craig Goolsby, MD, MEd, Raphaelle H. Rodzik, MPH, Nicole Dacuyan-Faucher, MPH, Ke Tags: Conditions COVID-19 coronavirus Infectious Disease Public Health & Policy Source Type: blogs
We ’re Going to Need Startups
Chris EdwardsThe economic damage from COVID-19 business shutdowns could be massive. We ’re starting to see the effects with initial unemployment claimsspiking to a record 3.3 million last week.In an effort to keep businesses in one piece, the $2.2 trillion federal relief package provides loans to large businesses, and essentially provides grants to small businesses that retain employees. We will nonetheless see many bankruptcies in coming months.Another part of the downturn will be less visible —the tens of thousands of businesses that won’t be started in coming months. In a normal year,about eight per...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - March 31, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: Chris Edwards Source Type: blogs
The Economic Wallop of COVID-19: Q & A with RAND Experts
As Washington continues to weigh economic responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, here are insights from RAND experts on how aid money might be best allocated, how this crisis compares to the 2008 recession, what business communities can do right now, and more. (Source: The RAND Blog)
Source: The RAND Blog - March 25, 2020 Category: Health Management Authors: Debra Knopman; Krishna B. Kumar; Howard J. Shatz; Jennifer Kavanagh Source Type: blogs
That Darn Coin
George SelginThey say that a bad penny always turns up. But when it comes to crises these days, it seems that what keeps turning up is a bad idea —namely, the idea of having the U.S. Mint strike one or more trillion-dollar platinum coins.As I explainedlast March, the idea, which was first broached in 2009 and has since become very popular among Modern Monetary Theorists, gained prominence in January 2013, whenthey and several more orthodox economists latched onto itas a way around that month ' sdebt ceiling crisis.Paul Krugman, who was one of the idea ' s proponents, observed:Should President Obama be willing to print a ...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - March 24, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: George Selgin Source Type: blogs
Coronavirus: Testing and Safe Production vs. Expensive Stimulus
Chris EdwardsCovid ‐19 is pushing the U.S. economy into recession as businesses cut back and close down. Congress is set to pass a huge stimulus and business support package that will cost taxpayers $1 trillion or more.I fear much of the spending will be misdirected, at least that portion aiming to boost demand rather thansustain safe supply. Policymakers should focus on widespread virus testing and distributing safety equipment to help get businesses back in safe operation as soon as possible.Economists Paul Romer and Alan Garber discuss that strategy in theNew York Times. They argue, “To protect our way of li...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - March 23, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: Chris Edwards Source Type: blogs
Government Policy and the COVID-19 Pandemic
Jeffrey Miron andErin PartinWhat actions, if any, should governments take in response to the COVID-19 (C ‑19) pandemic?Control of infectious diseases might seem to be a textbook case where private actions will not produce good outcomes for society overall. While individuals surely face incentives to avoid getting sick themselves (which helps limit spread of the disease), they might focus mainly on the private costs and benefits of going to work or attending a large gathering when sick. Likewise, while businesses and other private organizations have good reasons to adopt work from home and other social distancin...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - March 23, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey Miron, Erin Partin Source Type: blogs
Podcast: Coronavirus – How to Keep it Together
How are you handling the coronavirus pandemic? Most people are struggling right now, but for those of us with mental illness, these days can feel truly overwhelming. Fear, depression, isolation and loss of routine are just a few of the difficulties many of us are facing. In today’s podcast, Gabe and Jackie discuss what we can do right now to make things just a little better, and they share their personal hopes and fears for humanity once this pandemic subsides.
You’re not alone — we’re all in this together. Join us for an important discussion on how we can handle this time of fear and uncertainty.
(T...
Source: World of Psychology - March 23, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Not Crazy Podcast Tags: Anxiety and Panic General LifeHelper Mental Health and Wellness Not Crazy Podcast Source Type: blogs
Boost Supply, Not Demand, During the Pandemic
Chris EdwardsCOVID-19 is battering the U.S. economy, causing many businesses to cut back and close down. Policymakersare considering a huge $1 trillion stimulus package with an array of subsidies designed to boost consumption. Pundits often say things like “70 percent of the economy is consumption” and “America has a consumer ‐driven economy.” That leads them to think that reviving growth rests on inducing people to spend.Consumer spending is 70 percent of aggregate demand, but that is only one side of the economy. The other side is supply —the production of goods and services. The government can s...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - March 20, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: Chris Edwards Source Type: blogs
A Healthcare System, If We Can Keep It
By KIM BELLARD
We are in strange days, and they
are only going to get stranger as COVID-19 works its way further through our
society. It makes me think of Benjamin Franklin’s response when asked
what kind of nation the U.S. was going to be: “A Republic, if you
can keep it.”
SAUL LOEB / AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
The versions of that response that COVID-19 have me wondering about are: “A federal system, if we can keep it,” and, more specifically, “a healthcare system, if we can keep it.” I’ll talk about each of those in the context of t...
Source: The Health Care Blog - March 18, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: COVID-19 Health Policy coronavirus Healthcare system Kim Bellard Pandemic Source Type: blogs
Robert Murphy on Market Monetarism
George SelginInthe latest installment in his series, " Understanding Money Mechanics, " Bob Murphy takes on Market Monetarism, andScott Sumner ' s case for having central banks practice NGDP level targeting in particular. A commentator there writes, " I hope George S. pipes up to defend MM! Seeing the other side can helps [sic] me to understand the theory better. "Far be it from me to refuse such a request!Murphy devotes much of his post to distinguishing Market Monetarism from both old-time Monetarism and Austrian monetary economics. Much of what I have to say also concerns those distinctions. I hope to persuade readers t...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - March 16, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: George Selgin Source Type: blogs
The Ineffably Stable Genius of Travel Restrictions
I ' ll outsource to Matthew Yglesias. Here ' s an excerpt:[A]s my colleague Jen Kirby has written, experts are deeply skeptical that travel restrictions are aparticularly high-value measure at this point. And even if Trump ’s enthusiasm for them is not wrong per se, it’s clear that his obsession with the concept of an external threat has had catastrophic consequences for the United States. Due to his strong orientation in favor of travel bans, Trump was early in restricting travel from China — a measure that he said would prevent the virus from entering the United States. It obviously failed at that goal, but Trump i...
Source: Stayin' Alive - March 13, 2020 Category: American Health Source Type: blogs
The Macro View – Health, Economics, and Politics and the Big Picture. What I Am Watching Here And Abroad.
March 12, 2020 Edition.-----In the USA we have had a forceful reminder that there is an incompetent and lying Government in place federally which is being exposed by a health system which is seemingly heading for a very inglorious failure to even remotely handle COVID-19 as it spreads. Trump has confirmed he is an utter fool with his behaviour on this issue. Sadly Mike Pence is probably worse!In the UK the virus is also off and running and causing havoc sadly. Hard to know how it will all evolve.In Australia the virus is running away and we are seeing a major focus on the economic damage and the risk of recession, which is...
Source: Australian Health Information Technology - March 11, 2020 Category: Information Technology Authors: Dr David G More MB PhD Source Type: blogs
