Daily Archives: March 22, 2010

HEALTH CARE REFORM & MARKET (IN)EFFICIENCY

One pundit notes that the lack of heavy selling today in equities (the S&P 500 was up about 0.5%) implies that the market “doesn’t fear healthcare reform,” via Andrew Leonard at Salon.com. Paul Krugman echoes the point on his blog: “if Obamacare is such a disaster for the economy, where’s the market reaction?”
Does this mean the market’s efficient after all? Or, to take the opposite view: Is the market inefficient and therefore its muted reaction is a sign that healthcare reform is really bad news for the economy–bad news that the market doesn’t perceive?

WILL HEALTH CARE “REFORM” REALLY LOWER THE DEFICIT?

The health care reform bill has passed the House and the only thing standing in its way from becoming law is the Senate. Although Republicans are expected to put up a fight, it’s unlikely that they’ll succeed in keeping the bill from the President’s desk, where Obama will sign it and proclaim victory.
Among the many questions that surround the health care legislation is cost. At a time when the U.S. budget is already saddled with hefty doses of red ink, there’s a growing debate about how the new health care bill will help, or hinder, the cause of fiscal probity.

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