Timothy Taylor, “Some Economics of Pharmacy Profit Managers,” The Conversable Economist, September 28, 2023. That is the nicest remedy of the info that I’ve seen. I confess that I’ve seen PBMs as one thing of a black field relatively than doing the usual intermediary remedy that Tim does.
Tim highlights the work of Matthew Fiedler, Loren Adler, and Richard G. Frank in “A Temporary Take a look at Key Debates About Pharmacy Profit Producers,” Brookings Establishment, September 7, 2023.
Ending paragraph:
As in most financial discussions concerning the function of middlemen, it’s necessary to do not forget that they (normally) don’t simply sit round with their fingers out, gathering cash. Some entity wants to barter on behalf of medical insurance corporations with drug producers and pharmacies. Some entity must course of insurance coverage claims for drug costs. I don’t imply to defend the comparatively excessive drug costs paid by American shoppers in comparison with worldwide markets, nor to defend the prices and necessities for creating new medicine, nor to defend a number of the mechanisms utilized by drug corporations to maintain costs excessive. However whereas it could be potential to squeeze some cash out of PBMs for barely decrease drug costs, and it’s definitely potential to mess up PBMs in a means that results in increased drug costs, it doesn’t appear believable that reform of PBMs goes to be a robust lever for decreasing drug costs.
Thomas W. Hazlett, “Possibly Google Is Fashionable As a result of It’s Good,” Cause, September 27, 2023. I feel Hazlett is the most effective author in economics. This piece is an effective pattern.
An excerpt:
The innovation was easy in design, advanced in execution, and radical in outcome. The enterprise achieved a uncommon triple play: First, a strong new net crawler devised a superior technique for locating and tagging the world’s digital content material, deploying low-cost PCs linked in formations to attain momentous computing energy (Brin’s genius). Second, this extra prolific database of world digital content material was higher cataloged. A intelligent “Web page Rank” rating evaluated key phrase matches, countering the affect of scammers by scrutinizing the standard of their net web page hyperlinks (Web page’s inspiration). Third, “intention-based promoting” displayed business messages to searchers self-identified as prepared to purchase. As an illustration, the web person questioning about “coho salmon, Ketchikan, children” gave Hank’s Household Fishing B&B in Alaska a digital goal for its 10 p.c off coupon, whereas signaling to Olay to not hassle promoting its skincare merchandise. This solved the well-known advertising and marketing dilemma: “I do know I’m losing half my advert price range, I simply don’t know which half.” Companies beloved these tiny slices of digital actual property, and Google mined gold.
Fiona Harrigan, “America’s Immigrant Mind Drain,” Cause, October 2023.
Excerpt:
In June, The Hechinger Report outlined how international governments are welcoming U.S.-trained worldwide college students. The UK presents a “excessive potential particular person” visa, which authorizes a two-year keep and is accessible to “new graduates of 40 universities….21 of them in the US.” Recruiters from Australia are “attending job festivals and visiting college campuses” in the US. From 2017 to 2021, in line with the Niskanen Middle, a Washington-based assume tank, Canada managed to draw virtually 40,000 foreign-born graduates of American universities.
Most worldwide college students need to keep within the U.S. after graduating, however only a few are ready to take action. The U.S. doesn’t have a devoted postgraduate work visa. Canada and Australia, in the meantime, have streamlined the steps from commencement to employment to everlasting residency. Graduates within the U.S. can full Non-compulsory Sensible Coaching, however it doesn’t result in everlasting residency and lasts a most of three years.
Private notice: Truly the utmost of three years for Sensible Coaching sounds good. Once I took benefit of the F-1 Sensible Coaching visa to be on the school of the College of Rochester, the max was solely 18 months.
David Friedman, “Penalties of Local weather Change,” September 24, 2023. David does his typical calm, clear, masterful job of laying out the info. He takes the IPCC reviews as given after which follows the implications, uncovering lots of deceptive claims within the course of. Whereas David takes as on condition that the earth will warmth about one other diploma centigrade by concerning the finish of the century, he lays out why we are able to’t ensure that the web results are damaging or optimistic. Watch concerning the first 35 minutes of his speech, earlier than he will get to Q&A. I’d level out highlights however there may be zinger after zinger. And he references his weblog and his substack the place you will get particulars.
The pic above is of David Friedman giving his speak.
