The standard advice for consumers is: if you are prescribed a medicine, always ask if there is a cheaper generic. Questions: 1. According to the article, why are consumers told the opposite on some drugs – take name brand drugs and pay a higher co-pay? 2. What does Dr. Diller mean by “It’s Alice-in-Wonderland time… Read more »
Posts Categorized: All Articles
But wait…..there’s more………
Already struggling to rebuild its reputation after disclosing the creation of fraudulent bank accounts, the New York Times indicates that Wells Fargo may soon release information about even more fraudulent account creation. Questions: 1. Based on the new investigation, how many accounts were found and over what period? 2. What is the new regulatory issue… Read more »
Gosh, D.C., maybe it really IS a crisis!
When you look at middle-class manufacturing jobs. many do not even require a high school diploma but pay $15 to $25 an hour and offer full benefits. So why aren’t they being filled? As Nelson Schwartz indicates in this article, the problem is that too many applicants — nearly half, in some cases — fail… Read more »
ER Bill Surprise!
New data suggests that EmCare, now one of the nation’s largest physician-staffing companies for emergency rooms, is showing a disturbing pattern. In the case of a small Spokane, Washington hospital, the number of patients coded as having billing for the most complex, expensive level of care quadrupled after the hospital contracted for services through EmCare…. Read more »
Another Sad Wells Fargo Story
According to the New York Times, more than 800,000 people who took out car loans from Wells Fargo were charged for auto insurance they did not need, and some of them are still paying for it, according to an internal report prepared for the bank’s executives. Questions: 1. How many customers were forced into delinquency… Read more »
Amazon-Nike Powerhouse
According to Reuters, Nike’s pilot program to sell certain products on Amazon and Instagram is a precursor to it forging a deeper relationship with online retailers, and could hit sales at sporting goods retailers such as Foot Locker Inc. Questions: 1. What are the benefits of this deal for Nike? 2. How is Nike trying… Read more »
A new manipulation of stock
Kamilla Bjorlin, actress appearing in movies with Al Pacino and Anthony Hopkins, as well as countless lesser roles, is now looking at possibly her biggest role in defending herself against SEC charges against a modern “pump-and-dump” scheme. Questions: 1. According to the SEC complaint, what was Bjorlin’s firm’s role in driving up the stock of… Read more »
The Dirty Little Secret about Big Pharma
As the New York Times reports, when Big Pharma companies are under fire for skyrocketing drug prices, they would like you to believe that prices have to be so high to support research and development (R&D). But is that the truth? Questions: 1. What did the authors of the new study find that the 18… Read more »
Wiped Away
Tens of thousands of people who took out private loans to pay for college but have not been able to keep up payments may get their debts wiped away because critical paperwork is missing. Questions: 1. How much do the troubled loans total? 2. According to the article, what is this situation reminiscent of? 3…. Read more »
Repealing an effective policy without immediate replacement? Good idea?
In June, the secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, announced plans to dismantle a set of Obama-era policies devised to protect students and taxpayers from predatory for-profit colleges. However, data released in the final days of the previous administration shows that the existing rules were more effective at shutting down bad college programs than even the… Read more »