Pfizer Rep Alleges Viagra Promoted With Unapproved Materials: “Get Those Things Cleaned Up!”

On September 8, 2009

Coverage, Price, and Competition in the Small Group Health Insurance Market

Last week as I was researching this story about Utah's new health insurance exchange, I wandered into a trove health care data. Using Many Eyes, a free tool from IBM that lets you easily visualize data, I put together the maps embedded below to compare health insurance coverage, price, and competition in the small group market (for employers with under 50 workers).

The idea is to use the data to find relationships between how many small employers offer coverage, the price of insurance (measured by average annual single premiums), and the market share of the largest carrier in each state (where available). You can zoom in and scroll over each state to get this info. (Unfortunately I haven't found a way to display all three data sets on one map at the same time.)

I don't think the visualization offers any clear explanations. Nebraska has among the highest premiums and the lowest coverage. But then New Hampshire and New Jersey have high premiums as well, and they both have a relatively high share of small businesses offering insurance. The insurance market is highly concentrated in Alabama, with one carrier controlling 96% of the small group market. But the state's premiums are lower than Louisiana, where there's a more competitive market, and a greater number of businesses offer insurance in Alabama.

I'm most interested in whether these figures reflect your experience shopping for health insurance in your state. Do you feel there's less competition than the chart shows? Do the average premiums sound right to you? Let me know in a comment.

I've also set up a topic center at Many Eyes where anyone who's so inclined can share more data on small business health care.

On September 8, 2009

The Darkest Side to Workplace and Economic Stress: Suicide

It's been a tough year or two for most of us, what with the economy imploding, jobs getting slashed, and home values plummeting. But for a few, it's proven too much too handle. According to The New York Times, workplace suicides rose significantly from 2007 to 2008, to a series high of 251 nationwide. The Times reported that: 94 percent were committed by men the suicide rate was highest for workers ages 45 to 54 white workers were most likely to commit suicide (78 percent) employees in management positions accounted for the largest group of suicides And keep in mind these numbers don't include suicides that were committed outside the workplace. What can managers do to make sure one of...
On September 8, 2009

“Cars for Idiots”: Carmakers Get Personal About New Technology

Sometimes carmakers take the competition personally, especially when new technology is involved. Toyota executives recently went out of their way to disparage the plug-in hybrid (even though their own company is building one). Irv Miller, Toyota’s group vice president of environmental and public affairs, told me back in June that after the batteries were depleted on a plug-in hybrid, they became a heavy “boat anchor” until the car plugs in again. “The dog doesn’t hunt,” Miller said. “We may be trying to change the world for a very small part of the market.” Last week, Audi North American President Johan de Nysschen reportedly called the Chevy Volt a “car for idiots,” though he later denied using that word. He also...
On September 8, 2009

Cadbury Playing Hard-to-Get?

Cadbury turned down Kraft's surprise $16.7 billion takeover offer yesterday, but nobody seems to think that's the end of the story. Cadbury is giving off mixed signals -- it said it just wanted to fly solo for the moment, but it also said the bid was too low. Kraft, meanwhile, is not ready to give up yet. CEO Irene Rosenfeld told the Chicago Tribune she expects "constructive dialog" with Cadbury in the near future. Many think a takeover of Cadbury became inevitable when the company spun off its beverage divisions. There's a chance that Hershey or Nestle could step in with their own bids -- or even bid together, with Hershey taking the chocolate and confectionary brands and Nestle taking...
On September 8, 2009

Europeans Angered by Congress’ $10 Visa-Waiver Fee

Is it a "tempest in a teapot?" Rep. William Delahunt (D-Mass.) is one of the sponsors of the Travel Promotion Act, a bill that would require foreign visitors who qualify for visa-free travel to register online and renew that registration once every two years. If the proposal is passed by Congress, all visitors would have to pay a $10 fee when they register. According to Delahunt, the money raised would be used to promote travel and educating foreign visitors on the online registration process. So far, the bill has been created waves overseas and European Commission's ambassador to Washington, John Bruton said, ""Only in `Alice in Wonderland' could a penalty be seen as promoting the activity on which it is imposed." Bruton also suggested there...
On September 8, 2009

Business Focus vs. Peripheral Vision vs. Growth

It’s all paradoxical. Bill Cosby once said: “I don’t know the secret to success, but I do know that the secret to failure is trying to please everybody.” While driving to the office a few minutes ago, I saw an unusual Fedex truck, like a stunted-growth moving van, with the signage: “Fedex White Glove Service.” I don’t [...]
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