tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332592735810634424.post1771023819363884553..comments2019-12-14T14:59:13.545-05:00Comments on Claritas: WelcomeHowardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16424520257796706030noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332592735810634424.post-28786677543194886682009-08-29T12:46:33.814-04:002009-08-29T12:46:33.814-04:00I wasn't actually picking on big pharma, just ...I wasn't actually picking on big pharma, just providing a comparison to show scale. I do think, though, that one quick way to cut health costs would be to ban advertising of prescription drugs. I can't see how it's useful.<br /><br />As for which numbers to use, I think that to a first approximation it doesn't matter-- my point was to show that it doesn't take a health policy expert (which I'm not)to see that the numbers are not huge. I can't see that the two sides are really talking past each other, either; the Republican contribution seems to have been "crushing burden on our children" (wrong), "trying to kill Grandma" (wrong),"socialized medicine" (I don't even know what that means, but it was also used against Medicare).Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16424520257796706030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332592735810634424.post-80817369811076224012009-08-23T22:29:16.458-04:002009-08-23T22:29:16.458-04:00Hi Howard. Interesting. Perhaps you could comment...Hi Howard. Interesting. Perhaps you could comment on the fact that both sides are talking past each other in the health care debate. My touchstone, from an overall expenditures standpoint, are the Kaiser Family Foundation numbers. On a related note, why does everyone pillory big pharma? I commented on this on my Facebook page. According to Kaiser pharma was only 9% of national health expenditures in 2006 while hospitalization was 30 and doctors were 20.pinheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16465816560582109284noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332592735810634424.post-12292675937631915212009-08-15T14:15:32.227-04:002009-08-15T14:15:32.227-04:00Fantastic. Good to see you here, Howard.Fantastic. Good to see you here, Howard.Fred Thompsonhttp://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=249171noreply@blogger.com