Jul 22 Medicare coverage for aging parents' care is not nearly enough By Philip Moeller Medicare does cover skilled nursing care, which can be delivered in a home setting. But its coverage was never designed to be a long-term solution. Continue reading
Jul 21 Trade debate masks America's competitive disadvantage By George C. Lodge Lowering trade barriers through the Trans-Pacific Partnership will have little impact on the U.S.’s deteriorating ability to compete in the world economy. In the name of realism and the national interest, is it time for a national economic strategy?… Continue reading
Jul 21 More children are in poverty today than before the Great Recession By Laura Santhanam, Megan Crigger Today, 22 percent of children live in poverty, up from 18 percent in 2008. Continue reading
Jul 20 If Social Security tells you you're dead, don't believe them By Laurence Kotlikoff What do you do when Social Security informs you and your credit card company that you're deceased? One reader shares her story. Getting Social Security to admit that she was alive proved no easy task. Continue reading
Jul 20 The profundity of Germany versus Greece, via Monty Python By Paul Solman An Olympian view of the — at heart — surprisingly similar weltanschauungen of the two nations, courtesy Monty Python. Continue reading
Jul 18 Is China manipulating its currency? The Big Mac Index says yes By Kristen Doerer The Economist came out with their annual index of McDonald’s Big Mac, priced in different currencies. The index is a light-hearted measurement of “whether currencies are at their ‘correct’ level.”… Continue reading
Jul 17 What we know — and what we don't — about global warming By Gernot Wagner, Martin L. Weitzman With sea levels rising and global temperatures increasing, Gernot Wagner and Martin L. Weitzman, co-authors of “Climate Shock,” argue that we should insure ourselves against climate change. Continue reading
Jul 16 Watch 8:22 The economic options for combatting climate change By PBS News Hour As greenhouse gases accumulate and global temperatures slowly rise, what can we do to insure against the catastrophes of climate change? Economics correspondent Paul Solman talks to the authors of "Climate Shock: The Economic Consequences of a Hotter Planet."… Continue watching
Jul 16 Watch 7:22 IMF chief: Europe must do much more to reduce Greek debt By PBS News Hour Even as Greece moves closer to a new European bailout deal, the International Monetary Fund has been pushing for debt relief for the struggling nation, adding tension to an already fraught situation. Gwen Ifill speaks to managing director Christine Lagarde… Continue watching
Jul 16 A cheap but dangerous global warming fix By David Keith Harvard environmental scientist David Keith sees solar geoengineering as one solution that wouldn't hit our pocketbooks. It would, however, come with both scientific and geopolitical risks. Continue reading