Noted for April 11, 2013
Tom Hoenig: FDIC’s Hoenig: Basel III Is Well-Intended Illusion: "He suggested regulators should focus on another measure of capital that more accurately reflect the capital position of banks: the tangible leverage ratio. This measure, which compares a bank’s equity capital to total assets, 'provides a simpler, more direct insight into the amount of loss-absorbing capital that is available to a firm', Mr. Hoenig said. While the Basel III framework calls for banks to have a tangible leverage ratio of at least 3%, that level was shown during the 2008 financial crisis to be too low, he said. 'We learned all too late that having less than 3 cents of tangible capital for every dollar of assets on the balance sheet is not enough to absorb even the smallest of financial losses, and certainly not a major shock', he said."
Mark Stabile et al.: Health Care Cost Containment Strategies Used In Four Other High-Income Countries Hold Lessons For The United States: "Around the world, rising health care costs are claiming a larger share of national budgets. This article reviews strategies developed to contain costs in health systems in Canada, England, France, and Germany in 2000–10. We used a comprehensive analysis of health systems and reforms in each country, compiled by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. These countries rely on a number of budget and price-setting mechanisms to contain health care costs. Our review revealed trends in all four countries toward more use of technology assessments and payment based on diagnosis-related groups and the value of products or services. These policies may result in a more efficient use of health care resources, but we argue that they need to be combined with volume and price controls—measures unlikely to be adopted in the United States—if they are also to meet cost containment goals."
Aaron Carroll: An update on Vermont’s single payer system | Nurse Practitioner Scope-of-Practice Authority | Barry Eichengreen: Our Children’s Economics | Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee March 19-20, 2013 | Ian Millhiser: Rand Paul: 'The Hard Part Of Believing In Freedom' Is Opposing Ban On Whites-Only Lunch Counters | Andrew Fieldhouse: How High Should Top Income Tax Rates Be? (Hint: Much Higher) | Owen Zidar: Tax Cuts for Whom? | Justin Wolfers | Professor of Economics & Public Policy |
