Inspired by the monthly Harper's Index, this is 2019's first index on healthcare and finance. The average ratio of Medicaid-to-Medicare payments spending across the US across all services: .72; In CA: .52. The factor by which commercial insurance p ...
What Bartleby Says
It's a fine day for the people who care about this sort of stuff when the topic of corporate wellness makes the year's first edition of The Economist. New resolutions for a new year surely had something to do with the timing. The Bartleby column is out wi ...
Stats on High Deductibles
November has past and healthcare open enrollment is behind us. It's the time when spreadsheets are pulled together, employees and spouses (even actuaries) run front and back of the envelope calculations to decide where to enroll. Stock photos of happy cou ...
On Hidden Risks and Volatility
Volatility in investing can be a great thing. The attraction to Bernie Madoff's scam can be better understood by its lack of volatility. His funds showed annual returns of an eerily consistent 10-12% and at one point reported 72 consecutive months of posi ...
Costco: Lessons from Member Obsession.
Some call them 'clients,' others, 'guests' or 'customers.' Costco (Ticker: COST, revenue $141B) calls them 'members,' a term that makes you feel like you're part of a special club. It's a club that will not sell you junkExcept bananas. Their bananas are ...