As health-care costs continue to soar, millions of confused consumers are paying medical bills they don’t actually owe. Typically this occurs when an insurance plan covers less than what a doctor, hospital, or lab service wants to be paid. The health-care provider demands the balance from the patient. Questions: 1. Explain why balance billing is… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Intermediate Accounting
Capitalism is Broken?
Camp Bow Wow, a dog-sitting chain, makes its workers sign non-compete agreements that bar them from plying any of the “trade secrets” they learn walking dogs at any other animal day care centers for up to two years. Questions: 1. Do you think that these quasi-feudal non-compete contracts should be illegal for everyone other than… Read more »
Let’s Have Pizza!
According to the New York Times, the uptick in pizza sales in Brooklyn at Domino’s Pizza is due to stolen credit card numbers being used to order to see which cards were still active and could be used for bigger purchases. Questions: 1. Explain why the article called this a blend of high-tech fraud and… Read more »
That’s the Walmart Way!
An Oklahoma City Walmart is asking employees to donate food to help their coworkers make ends meet during the holiday season. The company drew criticism for similar employee food drives a year ago. Besides incurring a total public assistance cost of $6.2 billion per year, Walmart has been criticized for running a corporate charity called… Read more »
New Class Action Lawsuit
Zillow, the number one online real estate website, is facing a $5 million class action lawsuit for intimidating employees to skip meals and work long hours without pay. Questions: 1. Who was Zillow’s top competition and how much did Zillow pay to buy the company? 2. Would this acquisition be reported on the Statement of… Read more »
It’s Not Over Yet!
Looking at GDP reporting GDP on a quarter-on-quarter basis, it turns out that Greece’s six-year recession is over, but recovery is far from near. The country’s economy grew at a 3.2 percent annual pace in the first quarter, 1.2 percent in the second, and 2.8 percent in the most recent one. However, unemployment is 25.9%…. Read more »
The Never-Ending Foreclosure Crisis: Robo Signer Redux
Fannie is trying to recoup the difference between what the borrowers owed on the mortgages when they were foreclosed and the amount Fannie received when it resold the properties. In Florida, these deficiency judgments can be pursued for 20 years, and borrowers must also pay a compounded annual interest rate of 4.5 percent. Several legal… Read more »
Congressional Insider Trading?
Nineteen months ago, with only 20 minutes remaining in the trading day, a Washington-based broker-dealer, Height Securities, blasted out a “flash report” to nearly 200 clients, including hedge funds on Wall Street that predicted a raise in Medicare reimbursement rates. This sent many health insurance companies’ stocks soaring. Regulators are now trying to investigate insider… Read more »
Ouch! This may sting a little.
According to the New York Times, officials are saying that short-term pain is necessary to put the European economy back on track. Regulators in the United States forced a similar catharsis on American banks in 2009, helping set the stage for the current recovery. Questions: 1. What was the result of the timid approach taken… Read more »
Shopping Comes at A Price
According to Chico Harlan, five years after the Great Recession, the most striking change in the world of low-income commerce has been the proliferation of rent-to-own stores. Questions: 1. How do rent to own stores avoid state usury laws and other regulations aimed at excessive interest payments? 2. What percentage of items are returned or… Read more »