Fearless commentary on finance, economics, politics and power

Today’s Water Cooler: Open thread.

Dozens of suits have been filed by whistleblowers, doctors and hospitals alleging that electronic health records (EHR) software used in hospitals and medical offices has hidden flaws that may pose a danger to patients — and that a substantial chunk of the $38 billion in federal subsidies went to companies that deceived the government about the quality of their products.

The more you look at what Buttigieg has said about his time at McKinsey, the more questions it raises.

Heatlh care CEOs are a prime example of executive feather-bedding.

Our understanding of soil is changing fast with new science. But can soil science help prevent global warming? Or, if the problems are political, not scientific, what is the political barrier?

The old business model of firms borrowing money from investors while hoping for future payouts on record-breaking wells no longer works.

Private equity is moving in a big way into elder and child care services in the UK. Patients and parents beware.

As long as we believe the neoclassical productivity farce, we will know nothing about what causes prices.

Today’s Water Cooler: Biden, Buttigieg, Sanders, Warren, debates, Borscht belt comedians, “Queens Man Impeached,” Epstein, “existential,” start-ups,, Kalanick cashes out, Starliner, EV battery sales down, 20 firms behind a third of all carbon emissions, the global financial system, TheRedPill

The absence of a universally accepted definition for ‘old-growth’ makes it more challenging to manage and preserve the carbon-rich ecosystems.

An appeals court nixed the Obamacare individual mandate and put the rest of the law in play. What might happen next?