Michael Hiltzik says the medically uninsured iin America have become a political football. Opponents and supporters of healthcare reform toss assertions about them back and forth.
The report, which says 46.3 million people lacked coverage as of the end of 2008, makes the case for reform stronger than ever by punching holes in arguments that minimize the plight of the uninsured.
Includes comments by WUSTL social work and public health professor Timothy McBride.

References:

1. Sept. 17, 2009 — U.S. Census Bureau data on the medically uninsured simply can't be denied in the Los Angeles Times

WUSTL economics professor David Levine says abolishing 'intellectual property' won't solve all social ills, but it would be a big step in the right direction for solving a range of problems from the high cost of health care, to innovating our way out of the current recession. In a series of posts with his co-author, WUSTL economics professor Michele Boldrin, they will be posting here about green technology, entertainment, free speech, multinationals, and innovation over the next weeks.

References:

1. Sept. 15, 2009 — Save the Whales! Abolish Patents! in the Huffingtonpost.com

U. of Georgia historian Stephen Mihm writes about the late WUSTL economist Hyman Minsky, who "has begun emerging as perhaps the most prescient big-picture thinker about what, exactly, we are going through. A contrarian amid the conformity of postwar America, an expert in the then-unfashionable subfields of finance and crisis, Minsky was one economist who saw what was coming. He predicted, decades ago, almost exactly the kind of meltdown that recently hammered the global economy. "

References:

1. Sept. 13, 2009 — Why capitalism fails in the The Boston Globe

NYU, one of the most expensive higher-education institutions in the country, has resorted to rationing paper and charging students for printouts in order to cut costs.
Seething students derided the measure, which kicks in after a student surpasses a 500-page printout limit per semester, as a cheap shot.
Similar measures have been introduced at dozens of smaller colleges -- and this year at the larger WUSTL -- for economic and environmental benefits.

References:

1. Sept. 11, 2009 — NYUers paper clipped in the New York Post

and 1 others.

How much is it going to cost to provide health care for all Americans? Until the details are complete, the only honest answer is: no one knows, reports John Schoen. "We know that the underinsured tend to be healthier," said Timothy McBride, associate dean for WUSTL's public health. "So if they were to get insured they would not be as expensive as the rest of us."

References:

1. Sept. 9, 2009 — Elusive price tag for universal health coverage in the MSNBC.com

Health-reform moves proposed by the White House and pursued in Congress have largely steered clear of direct hits to the medical-technology sector, with one big exception: medical imaging.
Such proposals follow years of rapid growth for medical scanning that has provoked questions about overuse.
William Peck, who directs WUSTL's Center for Health Policy, suggests the House legislation needs to get at the causes of overuse, such as doctors hedging against the threat of malpractice suits.

References:

1. Aug. 14, 2009 — Medical Imaging Under The Gun In Health-Reform Push in the The Wall Street Journal

and 5 others.

Researchers suggest that unlike money, social experiences can provide happy memories, which don't wear away as fast as the rush of buying a new possession. But WUSTL [marketing professor Joseph Goodman] and a Texas colleague have found that negative experiences can have a more negative impact on happiness than other spending of a comparable amount.

References:

1. Aug. 5, 2009 — Happiness: Staying positive in negative territory in the USA Today

and 1 others.

The Princeton Review -- an education services company that helps students choose and get in to colleges -- this year collected a wealth of data to help applicants and parents find the highly-coveted financial aid that a majority of them will need to pay for college. WUSTL was among 13 of which received the highest possible score of 99.

References:

1. July 27, 2009 — The Princeton Review gives 623 colleges financial aid ratings in the The Princeton Review

Americans say they're still in a tunnel, but more are beginning to see a light at its end. Fewer people say they've prospered over the past year than in decades, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds. WUSTL social work professor Mark Rank comments on the 'American Dream.'

References:

1. June 23, 2009 — Despite everything . . . Americans are seeing better times ahead in the USA Today

and 2 others.

Orthopaedic surgeon Timothy Kuklo, a former Army physician accused of falsifying research involving injured soldiers, has taken a leave of absence from WUSTL medical school and its affiliated hospitals.

References:

1. May 23, 2009 — Former Army Doctor Accused of Research Fraud Takes Leave From University in the The New York Times

and 6 others.

WUSTL engineers led by computer science professor William Richard have created a USB-based ultrasound probe that can connect to a smartphone, creating a low-cost ultrasound imaging platform.

References:

1. May 12, 2009 — What's Next: Ultrasound Images Via Cellphone in the The Washington Post

Everyone knows the grim news — unemployment in the United States has jumped to 8.5 percent, a 25-year high, and is racing toward double digits. But not everyone knows the brighter side to the equation: deep in the maw of the deepest recession since the Great Depression, millions are still being hired. Like many educational institutions, WUSTL continues to hire. It has 175 job openings in admissions, residential life and other areas.

References:

1. May 6, 2009 — Bright Spot in Downturn: New Hiring Is Robust in the The New York Times

and 3 others.

The Supreme Court rejected a favorite tool of prosecutors in immigration cases, ruling unanimously that a federal identity-theft law may not be used against many illegal workers who used false Social Security numbers to get jobs. WUSTL immigration law professor Stephen Legomsky comments.

References:

1. May 5, 2009 — Justices Limit Use of Identity Theft Law in Immigration Cases in the The New York Times

and 3 others.

When it comes to swine flu, Obama is trying to strike the right balance between protecting public and economic health. That's resulted in some doublespeak and spin, evidence of the inextricable ties between a looming epidemic and a listing economy. Includes comments by WUSTL American culture studies director Wayne Fields, who is an expert on presidential rhetoric.

References:

1. May 2, 2009 — Flu control tests Obama balancing skills in the Associated Press

and 47 others.

Consumer behavior and psychological research has found all sorts of counterintuitive lessons about how we shop. So it's not surprising that a forthcoming study in the Journal of Consumer Research shatters some myths about materialism. Includes comments by WUSTL marketing professor Joseph Goodman, study co-author.

References:

1. May 1, 2009 — How Being Materialistic Can Actually Make You Happy in the U.S. News & World Report online

Some defendants with frozen assets are having trouble hiring lawyers. WUSTL law professor Sam Buell, a former federal prosecutor comments.

References:

1. April 2, 2009 — Defendants, With Assets Frozen, Find It Tough to Hire Attorneys in the The Wall Street Journal

Advice for parents explaining to children what changes may need to take place when a family faces economic hardship. WUSTL senior consultant and author Karen Levin Coburn.

References:

1. March 25, 2009 — Break It to 'Em Gently: Telling Kids About Financial Woes in the The Wall Street Journal

In less than two months, regulators have seized 14 banks. Experts think many more banks will collapse before the financial crisis is over. "We'll have a banner year [of failures] this year," said Stuart Greenbaum, retired dean and professor emeritus at the WUSTL's Olin Business School.

References:

1. Feb. 20, 2009 — Get ready for a wave of bank failures in the CNNMoney.com

The stimulus plan emerging in Washington could offer an unprecedented, multibillion-dollar boost in financial help for college students. Both the House and Senate bills call for the largest-ever funding increase for Pell Grants, the government's chief college aid program for low-income students. It could also hand out billions to the states to kick-start idled campus construction projects, including new dorms at WUSTL.

References:

1. Feb. 8, 2009 — Who Gets What: Billions to colleges and students in the Associated Press

and 56 others.

According to one geologist, southeast Missouri could hold one of the biggest deposits of undiscovered uranium in the U.S. Includes comments by WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Bob Criss.

References:

1. Feb. 2, 2009 — Southern Mo. targeted for uranium drilling in the Associated Press

and 70 others.