MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'accounts'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:22:42 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911573&cid=t_161028_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F07%2Fhow-forensic-psychology-began-and-flourished%2F There are many subsets of psychology. No doubt one of the most fascinating is forensic psychology. Forensic psychology is basically the intersection of psychology and the legal system. It’s quite a broad field. Psychologists work in a variety of settings, including police departments, prisons, courts and juvenile detention centers. And they do everything from assessing whether an incarcerated individual is ready for parole to advising attorneys on jury selection to serving as experts on the stand to counseling cops and their spouses to creating treatment programs for offenders. Most are trained as clinical or counseling psychologists. So how did this interesting specialty emerge and expand? Here’s a brief look at the history of forensic psychology. The Birth of Forensic Psychology The... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911573 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:09:18 +0100 4911573 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4592369&cid=t_161028_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F6l3b7Oy1uew%2F By George Scoville How can we have an "adult conversation" on the budget if the White House won't release its budget and deficit projections to the public? A new guide to India's uneven spread of economic freedom could help state-level policymakers there improve the welfare of citizens there. "When the Cato guy tells you someone is corrupting the idea of HSAs, pay attention." Despite having the bully pulpit, and despite touting opinion polls in favor of reform, the Obama administration finds it necessary to use taxpayer funds to tell Googlers what's best for them. Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has doubled down on the social issues truce--Cato's John Samples talked about this on Friday on the Cato Daily Podcast: Monday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: C... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4592369 Mon, 14 Mar 2011 15:17:19 +0100 4592369 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4580971&cid=t_161028_114_f&fid=34648&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FHealthBlawg%2F%7E3%2FzNuaBRS5t4o%2Fdavid-harlow-quoted-in-ama-american-medical-news-story-on-daily-deal-websites.html Groupon, LivingSocial and other daily deal websites are being used by health care providers -- though thus far mostly by those that are not covered by traditional commercial or governmental health insurance (e.g., dental, chiropractic, acupuncture services).  Read the American Medical News story on Groupon, where I was quoted, and please take a look at my blog post on the subject as well -- at the Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media blog -- entitled: Groupons for Health Care Services: No-Brainer or Legal Minefield?  In that post, I observed: There are a number of legal issues, and their resolution will depend, in part, on where you are situated, since many of the relevant rules are state laws, which vary.  For example: Groupon collects 50% of the price of the groupon as its fee; is th... HealthBlawg :: David Harlow's Health Care Law Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4580971 Mon, 14 Mar 2011 00:48:42 +0100 4580971 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4512391&cid=t_161028_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fconsumer-driven-healthcare-why-it-will-fail%2F2011.02.23 With the creation of consumer-driven health plans and health insurance policies with high deductibles linked to a savings option, more financial responsibility shouldered by patients and employees and less by employers was completely inevitable. The American public likes to have everything, whether consumer electronics or other services, as cheap as possible. With escalating healthcare expenses rising far more rapidly than wages or inflation, it’s not surprising employers needed a way to manage this increasingly-costly business expense. In the past, companies faced a similar dilemma. It wasn’t about medical costs, but managing increasingly expensive retirement and pension plan obligations. Years ago, companies moved from these defined benefit plans to defined contribution plan... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4512391 Wed, 23 Feb 2011 22:00:00 +0100 4512391 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4419140&cid=t_161028_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmessage-to-the-irs-leave-medicine-to-the-experts%2F2011.01.31 I saw this via a friend’s Facebook post: Really, IRS? Believe it or not, the folks at the IRS think they know more about breastfeeding than doctors and medical researchers. According to an article in the New York Times, the Internal Revenue Service has determined that breastfeeding “does not have enough health benefits to qualify as a form of medical care.”  Therefore, women cannot count expenses for breastfeeding supplies in their tax-sheltered healthcare spending accounts. In doing so, the IRS has ignored the guidance of experts at the Department of Health & Human Services and World Health Organization who are actively promoting breastfeeding because of its significant health benefits for mothers and children. Sign our petition reminding the IRS to leave medicine to the expert... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4419140 Mon, 31 Jan 2011 14:00:26 +0100 4419140 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4330999&cid=t_161028_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F95AmmdOwvSk%2F By Daniel J. MitchellThere are two crises facing Social Security. First the program has a gigantic unfunded liability, largely caused by demographics. Second, the program is a very bad deal for younger workers, making them pay record amounts of tax in exchange for comparatively meager benefits. This video explains how personal accounts can solve both problems, and also notes that nations as varied as Australia, Chile, Sweden, and Hong Kong have implemented this pro-growth reform. Social Security reform received a good bit of attention in the past two decades. President Clinton openly flirted with the idea, and President Bush explicitly endorsed the concept. But it has faded from the public square in recent years. But this may be about to change. Personal accounts are part of Congressman P... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4330999 Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:56:35 +0100 4330999 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3987039&cid=t_161028_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FTYd4fkSARtk%2F By Julian SanchezThe law normally advances by small and cautious steps—by the gradual extension of established precedents and rules to novel problems and fact patterns. Little wonder, then, that tricky questions of law often amount to conflicts between competing metaphors. Is a hard drive like a closed briefcase whose contents are all fair game for police once the “container” is legitimately opened? Or is it more like a warehouse containing hundreds or thousands of individual closed containers? If the latter, what are the “containers”? Directories? Individual files? A similar metaphor war figures in the FBI’s effort to expand its authority to acquire information from Internet Service Providers using National Security Letters, which are issued by agents witho... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3987039 Mon, 20 Sep 2010 16:33:22 +0100 3987039 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3972906&cid=t_161028_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FRJz0v7DMT98%2F By Michael F. CannonHere’s my contribution to a “one-minute debate” on ObamaCare in the Christian Science Monitor: The new health-care law’s mandates are already causing health insurance premiums to rise 3 to 9 percent more than they otherwise would. Its price controls are pushing insurers to abandon the market for child-only coverage and will soon begin rationing care to Medicare patients, partly by driving nearly 1 in 6 hospitals and other providers out of the program. Starting in 2014, when the full law takes effect, things will get really ugly. ObamaCare’s “individual mandate” will drive premiums even higher – assuming the courts have not declared it unconstitutional, as they should. Because the penalty for violating the mandate is a fraction of those premiu... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3972906 Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:00:23 +0100 3972906 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3794944&cid=t_161028_125_f&fid=34820&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dentalblogs.com%2Farchives%2Fadministrator-2%2Fputting-your-money-where-the-mouths-are%2F Transworld Systems White Paper Dental Visit www.web.transworldsystems.com/douggraham/ for more information. View more documents from Doug Graham. (Source: dental blog for dentists about dentistry) dental blog for dentists about dentistry blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3794944 Tue, 20 Jul 2010 18:49:01 +0100 3794944 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3644707&cid=t_161028_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F06%2F09%2Faccounting-for-quality-to-the-local-community-findings-from-focus-group-research%2F Title: Accounting for quality to the local community: Findings from focus group research The Skinny: King’s Fund report that assesses how far current plans for quality accounts meet the need to increase NHS accountability by making more information about quality available to the public. It outlines the conclusions of focus groups that were conducted with local community representatives, such as members of local involvement networks (LINks) and health overview and scrutiny committees (HOSCs), and with members and governors of foundation trusts. The paper argues that providers should look at quality accounts as a year-round process and should seek input from their local community from the outset and that providers and local community representatives need to work together to determine a des... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3644707 Wed, 09 Jun 2010 08:02:50 +0100 3644707 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3592197&cid=t_161028_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FOdetYO-VnLg%2F By Michael F. CannonJohn Goodman is correct that ObamaCare’s individual mandate — and Kathleen Sebelius’s power to make the mandate more burdensome at whim — threaten the continued existence of health savings accounts (HSAs).  But ObamaCare’s price controls are no less a threat. The new law requires insurers to charge enrollees of the same age the same average premium, regardless of health status.  That’s a price control, and it will cause premiums for healthy people to rise dramatically and thus lead to massive adverse selection.  Healthy people will gravitate to less-comprehensive insurance — in particular, HSA-compatible high-deductible plans — where the implicit tax is smaller. As premiums for comprehensive plans spiral upward (ulti... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3592197 Mon, 24 May 2010 13:55:02 +0100 3592197 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3443665&cid=t_161028_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fdo-separate-bank-accounts-make-marriage-happy%2F Traditionally, a newlywed couple is expected to merge all aspects of their lives to form one solid unit going forward into (hopefully) marital bliss. What’s mine is yours and what’s yours is mine, right? Image: istockphoto Not so fast – especially when it comes to money. It’s becoming more and more popular for married couples to keep separate bank accounts. A practice that was unheard of a few decades ago, many experts are pointing to reasons why keeping finances separate but not necessarily equal is a good idea. In an advice column, LendingTree gives reasons why separate bank accounts may be the way to go in terms of the need for privacy, lowering the risk of financial ruin, and maintaining credit and a sense of freedom for both parties. And About.com points to the fac... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3443665 Tue, 06 Apr 2010 23:45:25 +0100 3443665 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3403863&cid=t_161028_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F9SCL-r3GqNw%2F By Doug BandowSocial Security is officially in the red.  The New York Times reports that the system will pay out more than it takes in this year.  Explains the Times: The bursting of the real estate bubble and the ensuing recession have hurt jobs, home prices and now Social Security. This year, the system will pay out more in benefits than it receives in payroll taxes, an important threshold it was not expected to cross until at least 2016, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Stephen C. Goss, chief actuary of the Social Security Administration, said that while the Congressional projection would probably be borne out, the change would have no effect on benefits in 2010 and retirees would keep receiving their checks as usual. The problem, he said, is that payments have risen more... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3403863 Thu, 25 Mar 2010 12:55:25 +0100 3403863 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3354246&cid=t_161028_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F03%2F11%2Fquality-accounts-2-reviewing-nhs-foundation-trusts%25e2%2580%2599-2009-experiences-and-plans%2F This report re-visits the concept of the circle of quality improvement and identifies how this process has been applied. Key findings are: A wide range of priorities and performance indicators are being used nationally under Darzi headings of Safety, Effectiveness and Patient Experience. Stakeholder Engagement is in its infancy, first year priorities have been set by boards and clinicians, the second round of quality accounts will see the implementation of stakeholder engagement. A large range of processes is being emplyed to embed quality throughout organisations e.g. Quality Baords, Subcommittees, Quality Review Panels, Monthly Monitoring of the Accounts, Ward to Board Reporting, Workforce development and Reward Schemes. Mental Health Trusts lead the way in stakeholder engagement and de... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3354246 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:56:32 +0100 3354246 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3331273&cid=t_161028_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FPRv9cOR422k%2F By Michael F. CannonPresident Obama evidently thinks that if he promises not to kill health savings accounts (HSAs), opponents will swoon for his government takeover of health care.  If that doesn’t do the trick, he should make clear that his health plan would not eliminate other things too, like the Defense Department and puppies. Of course, that hollow gesture didn’t win the president any Republican support.  But it may have cost him some Democratic support — or at least frayed the nerves of a few House Democrats.  According to CongressDaily: Liberals, meanwhile, are fuming over an addition Obama made to his proposal to make the effort appear bipartisan and possibly switch the votes of moderate Democrats who opposed the House bill last year. The Congressional Progres... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3331273 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:42:23 +0100 3331273 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3331274&cid=t_161028_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FcU7G-VGMFX8%2F By Roger PilonThis afternoon Politico Arena asks: Will the president’s health care remarks today sway enough votes to pass ObamaCare through “reconciliation”? My response: Who knows? What they show beyond all doubt, however, is the mind-set of the president and the bill’s proponents. Consider just a few of his opening words: “Everything there is to say about health care has been said and just about everyone has said it. So now is the time to make a decision about how to finally reform health care so that it works, not just for the insurance companies, but for America’s families and businesses.” Notice first the insinuation that health care works today for the insurance companies, but not for the rest of us. Obama has to have his foil, this man with no ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3331274 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:16:14 +0100 3331274 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3326961&cid=t_161028_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FVDed4mPfv20%2F By Michael F. CannonIn a letter to congressional leaders, President Obama wrote of his openness to including Republican proposals in his health care legislation. Dropping a few Republican ideas into a government takeover of health care is like sterilizing the needle before a lethal injection: a nice thought, but the ultimate outcome is the same. Two of the four Republican ideas – federal grants to states that adopt medical malpractice liability reforms, and ratcheting upward Medicare’s physician-price controls – would increase government spending. The president’s health savings accounts (HSAs) proposal would merely loosen the noose around consumer-directed health plans. Undercover investigations in Medicare and Medicaid are likely to be as unsuccessful as past efforts to comba... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3326961 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:04:19 +0100 3326961 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3302304&cid=t_161028_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F616ciamU-w8%2F By José PineraThe Maastricht Treaty requires countries in the eurozone not to exceed a public debt of 60% of GDP. Well, now almost all of them have an official debt exceeding that ceiling. But the situation is immensely worse because European states also have huge, and largely hidden, unfunded liabilities arising from their pension and health systems. According to a 2009 study by my colleague Jagadeesh Gokhale, the true debt of the 25 European countries is, on average, 434% of GDP. And the treaties that underpin European integration do not say a word about such debt. Greece’s true debt is 875% of GDP and its current problems are just the first act of the coming fiscal bankruptcy of Europe. In my 2004 essay “Will the Pension Time Bomb Sink the Euro?”, I concluded that... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3302304 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:27:26 +0100 3302304 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3246852&cid=t_161028_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F02%2F06%2Fframework-for-quality-accounts-a-response-to-consultation%2F Title: Framework for quality accounts: a response to consultation Skinny: Official response to the consultation The Framework for Quality Accounts – a consultation on the proposals. It informs the regulation and DH toolkit for 2009–2010 Quality Accounts. Identifies responses on the: Content of quality accounts; Publication of Quality Accounts; and Which organisations will be required to produce a Quality Account. Publisher: DH Size of Publication: 49p. Published: 05/02/2010 Filed under: Grey Literature, NHS, Quality, Stakeholder Engagement Tagged: Consultations, Grey Literature, Quality Accounts, Stakeholder Engagement (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3246852 Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:07:18 +0100 3246852 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2984919&cid=t_161028_125_f&fid=34820&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dentalblogs.com%2Farchives%2Fadministrator%2Fdentistry-and-finances-by-keith-drayer-of-henry-schein-financial%2F Modernize Your Collection System for Maximum Profit In today’s economy, there are many dental professionals that are faced with the challenge to their accounts receivable. Uncollected receivables turn into pure losses. Yet embracing a systematic approach to collections can help practices collect more funds and on a more timely basis. One mistake providers make is not recognizing the signs of early default. When a patient doesn’t pay their bill within 60 days or haven’t set up or are following a payment plan, they are telling you that they are not going to pay! Should you use your staff’s time trying to collect these accounts? As a dental provider, you are implementing state-of-the-art methods to treat your patients’ dental needs. You also need to employ the most up-to-date method... dental blog for dentists about dentistry blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2984919 Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:12:43 +0100 2984919 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2920166&cid=t_161028_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FI8UNFfiDDkE%2F At his White House forum on health reform back in March, President Barack Obama offered: If there is a way of getting this done where we’re driving down costs and people are getting health insurance at an affordable rate, and have choice of doctor, have flexibility in terms of their plans, and we could do that entirely through the market, I’d be happy to do it that way. In a new Cato study titled, “Yes, Mr. President, a Free Market Can Fix Health Care,” I take up the president’s challenge and explain that markets are indeed the only way to achieve those goals.  I also explain how Congress can remove the impediments that currently prevent markets from doing so: Give Medicare enrollees a voucher (adjusted for their means and health risk) and let them purchase any ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2920166 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:46:37 +0100 2920166 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2882972&cid=t_161028_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F10%2F12%2Fthe-proposed-framework-for-quality-accounts%2F Title: Mental health factsheet: Patient safety The Skinny: Asks for views on the DH proposals for a framework for Quality Accounts, to inform the NHS Confederation response to the DH. Key issues are: Quality Accounts will be a requirement from 2010. In the first year, NHS trusts, foundation trusts and their private/voluntary sector equivalents will provide a Quality Account. They will be introduced for the primary and community care sectors from 2011. The estimated cost for a provider to produce a Quality Account is £14k–£22K. Boards will be responsible for the accuracy and completeness of their Quality Account and for compliance with regulations and guidance. There are a number of key issues where the DH is seeking input and it is imperative that the view of the service is ... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2882972 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:04:09 +0100 2882972 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2820197&cid=t_161028_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FPdJLRwfKAIA%2F Ezra Klein, the young Washington Post blogger who writes a lot about health care, contributed an article to the paper’s Sunday Business section in which he made this compelling point along the way: The surest way to cut health-care spending would be to make people shoulder more of the burden directly, as opposed to hiding it in taxes and lost wages. Bingo! Exactly! So why does Klein want government to get more involved, to wrap our health care in a web of mandates and subsidies and regulations and gatekeepers and monitors? When, as he says, making the cost of health care clear and direct would be “the surest way to cut health-care spending”? Michael Cannon’s proposal for “Large HSAs” would move us in the right direction. It would allow workers to recei... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2820197 Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:50:21 +0100 2820197 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2774607&cid=t_161028_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FsQnzXQxW7fE%2F President Obama continues to portray the debate over health care reform as a choice between his plan for a massive government-takeover of the US healthcare system and “doing nothing.”  Those who oppose his plan are said to be “obstructionist” or in favor of the status-quo.  Yesterday, the President again said, “I’ve got a question for all those folks [who oppose his plan]: What are you going to do? What’s your answer? What’s your solution?” Well, I can’t speak for all his critics, but the Cato Institute has a long record of supporting health care reform based on free-markets and competition.  If the President wanted to know more he might have read my recent op-ed in the Los Angeles Times or Michael Cannon’s piece in Investors Business Daily.  H... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2774607 Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:15:10 +0100 2774607 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2645264&cid=t_161028_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fx4Uq-hxjADo%2F In a recent article Ralph Nader attacks several critics of Obama’s health care reform proposal, including Cato: Now enters the well-insured libertarian Cato Institute with full-page ads in the Washington Post and The New York Times charging Obama with pursuing government-run health care. A picture of Uncle Sam pointing under the headline “Your New Doctor.” Nonsense. The well-insured people at Cato should know better than to declare that this “government takeover” would “reduce health care quality.” I agree that Cato employees are “well-insured” – a description so appropriate that Nader used it twice in a single paragraph. At Cato we have Health Savings Accounts, which are probably the closest thing to free market health insurance allowed by law. It’s nice to see Nad... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2645264 Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:30:47 +0100 2645264 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570386&cid=t_161028_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FMwC1DQQHSZY%2F Economists have advanced many theories of taxation. But as usual, the one that seems to explain the policies of the Obama administration best is what I call the Mikulski Principle, the theory most clearly enunciated in 1990 by Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D, Md.): Let’s go and get it from those who’ve got it. Just take a look at the myriad taxes proposed or publicly floated by President Obama and his aides and allies: Raise the top income tax rates from their current 33 percent and 35 percent rates to 36 percent and 39.6 percent in 2011 Limit itemized deductions for people paying high rates Increase capital gains and dividend taxes by 33 percent for people paying high income tax rates Impose a value-added tax (VAT) on all goods and services Raise the Social Security tax by lifting the ca... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2570386 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:02:26 +0100 2570386 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2510280&cid=t_161028_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FXWMkm4hYBVI%2F Last week, Cato hosted an all-day conference on health care reform, which included expert opinions from across the political spectrum.  Cato Founder and President Ed Crane started the event with a talk about a libertarian approach to reforming health care, which would reduce federal involvement, increase competition, decouple health care from employment and increase the amount of doctors available. You can find all of Cato’s reasearch on health care reform at Healthcare.Cato.org. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2510280 Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:57:04 +0100 2510280 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2452331&cid=t_161028_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F06%2F03%2Fscoping-%25e2%2580%2598quality-accounts%25e2%2580%2599-in-mental-health%2F Title: Scoping ‘quality accounts’ in mental health The Skinny: This paper identifies that: High quality care for all: NHS Next Stage Review final report (The ‘Darzi Review’) introduces quality accounts as a mechanism for public reporting on quality (These will be reports to the public on the quality of services they provide in every service line – looking at safety, experience and outcomes). From April 2010, providers of NHS healthcare will be legally required to published quality accounts. There is a need to clarify how the national aspects will work in practice. There is a need to clarify how the Care Quality Commission and Monitor will work together on quality. Quality accounts are likely to become influential public documents and providers should play a central role in their... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2452331 Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:00:03 +0100 2452331 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2424033&cid=t_161028_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F3dH6-XcTItA%2F Over at Salon, Michael Lind takes me to task for raising the alarm about the latest Social Security Trustees report showing that a) Social Security’s insolvency date is growing closer, and b) the system’s unfunded liabilities have increased dramatically since last year’s report. Like most of those who resist having an honest debate about Social security’s finances, Lind relies on a combination of economic flim-flam and political sophistry to obscure the true problem. For example, Lind points out that when I quote the Trustee’s assertion that the system’s unfunded liabilities currently top $17.5 trillion, that “assumes there are no changes made between now and eternity.” Well, duh! All estimates of US budget deficits assume that spending won’t be cut or taxes raised enough... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2424033 Tue, 19 May 2009 15:26:17 +0100 2424033 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405030&cid=t_161028_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FAMh0VpAbmsk%2F It’s a given that, once in place, a national ID would be used for additional purposes. In case you needed proof, on Wednesday, Senator David Vitter (R-LA) offered an amendment to H.R. 627, the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights Act of 2009, requiring the Federal Reserve to impose federal identification standards on the opening of new credit accounts. Among the limited forms of ID credit issuers could accept are REAL ID cards, produced under the moribund national ID law. (Vitter may not realize that REAL ID is in collapse.) To compound things, his amendment would require credit issuers to run new credit card applicants past terrorist watch-lists. The sense of normalcy, efficiency, and common sense that makes airports so pleasurable to visit today would infect our financial servi... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405030 Thu, 14 May 2009 13:01:48 +0100 2405030 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405044&cid=t_161028_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FNlB6s2uL0CU%2F Editors’ Note: The post below is an expanded version of Tanner’s initial post at this URL. The Social Security system’s trustees have released their annual report on the system’s finances and announced that — surprise — the program’s looming financial crisis hasn’t gone away. Social Security will begin running a deficit by 2016, meaning that just seven years from now the program will begin spending more money on benefits than it takes in through taxes. That’s a year sooner than last year’s report. Of course, in theory, the Social Security Trust Fund will pay benefits until 2037. But even that figure is misleading, because the Trust Fund contains no actual assets. Instead, it contains government bonds that are simply IOUs, a measure of how much money the ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405044 Tue, 12 May 2009 20:36:44 +0100 2405044 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2386823&cid=t_161028_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FRDDzgDMYdZs%2F Jeff Zeleny at the New York Times Caucus Blog reports, “President Obama will present a set of proposals on Monday aimed at changing international tax policy, calling for the elimination of benefits for companies and wealthy individuals that harbor their cash in offshore accounts.” Cato scholars have long made arguments in defense of tax havens. In The Wall Street Journal, Senior Fellow Richard Rahn outlined the policy the federal government should be taking instead: The correct policy for the United States to follow is to reduce its corporate tax rate to make it internationally competitive, and to move toward a tax system that does not punish savings and productive investment so severely. We know from the experiences of many countries that reducing tax rates and simplifying th... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2386823 Mon, 04 May 2009 15:01:58 +0100 2386823 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2052587&cid=t_161028_125_f&fid=34820&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dentalblogs.com%2Farchives%2Fkeith-drayer%2Fdental-finances-receivables-at-risk%2F Does your practice extend open credits to your patients?   This is an important question as veteran dental practice owners know that their practice’s fiscal health, profitability and success requires BALANCING a prudent patient-financing policy. BALANCE allows the flexibility to accommodate your patients, and is also needs to be firm enough to avoid cash flow/collection problems that may have material consequences for both the doctors and staff.  Even a temporary cash flow problem is stressful for a practice owner, creating the potential for uncertainty in making the payroll.     What is a dental practice’s uncollectible percentage?  While this number will vary substantially (many factors ranging from service mix, use of practice management software, aggressive or lax pa... dental blog for dentists about dentistry blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2052587 Fri, 19 Dec 2008 21:02:13 +0100 2052587 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1970828&cid=t_161028_177_f&fid=38134&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbabybound.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F18%2Fwell-well-i-see-ive-hit-a-nerve%2F For the record, Mark and I are still in a fight.  But also for the record, I suspect it will end soon.  (Thankfully he does not read my blog and therefore is still miserably stewing at his desk at work.) Thank you all for the great advice.  I will definitely look into some adjustments to our current agreement.  Most notably, Mark’s new lack of plastic to wear down his pockets.  He cut his card in half in some sort of passive aggressive attempt at getting me to shut the fuck up not be mad at him.  Of course it didn’t work.  What a dum dum. I must say, it is oddly comforting to know that there are other people out there that struggle with this same issue.  It makes me feel better knowing that Mark isn’t the only fuckwit out there and that it is clearly a genetic dis... B a b y B o u n d blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1970828 Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:42:27 +0100 1970828 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1153950&cid=t_161028_132_f&fid=35006&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnsaunders.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F01%2F16%2Fwhen-its-obvious-to-you-but-not-toanyone-else%2F Do you know this feeling? You’ve been trialling a software package or online service for years. You think it’s great, so do your online community friends and you finally decide to share the love with your work colleagues. As soon as you do so, they discover a usage issue that you’ve never even thought about. It completely ruins the experience for them and makes your beloved application look like a piece of crap. This keeps happening to me with Google and a large part of the problem concerns email addresses and Google accounts. Read the rest… (Source: What You're Doing Is Rather Desperate) What You're Doing Is Rather Desperate blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1153950 Wed, 16 Jan 2008 05:40:35 +0100 1153950