Month: December 2007

US Healthcare – Where does all the money go?

The Census Bureau recently released the results of its 2006 Services Industry Survey, which shed light in particular on where US healthcare dollars are spent:

Census Bureau Press Release: “Doctors and Dentists Account for 27 Percent of $1.6 Trillion in Health Care Revenue”

Full tabular data on US healthcare spending in 2006

The second link provides some detail on where US health care spending goes. It’s worthwhile to note that $117 Billion in Social Assistance is included, with line items like children’s daycare, community housing assistance, and other rolled into the overall Health Care and Social Assistance category. Without Social Assistance, health care spending is actually 1.45 trillion, or 11% of US GDP.
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Posted on by praveenghanta 3

The World My Son Will Inherit

My son Vishnu was born a bit more than three months ago – and what a wonderful whirlwind it has been! Being a father doesn’t leave much time for introspection, but now that I find myself thinking further into the future, I wonder: what sort of world are we leaving our children? The usual laments can be heard throughout mainstream media, that we are running up an insurmountable debt to be born by our children, that Medicare and Social Security are both going bankrupt, that global warming will wreak havoc, and so on. While it’s obvious that the media tends toward hyperbole to draw an audience, some of these are real concerns. Here’s my short list of major American and global issues, and why I’m an optimist with regard to most:
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Posted on by praveenghanta 1

What happens to expiring milk?

What happens to perishable products (particularly milk) when it hits its expiration date at a grocery store? Do they just throw it out, or do they do find a more worthwhile use for it? This article implies that some expired foods have an afterlife, but I’ve read or heard elsewhere that expired milk is simply thrown out.

Why not buy milk from grocery stores on the morning of its expiration date, and sell it to restaurants, bakeries, and hotels that use large volumes of milk? Since these institutions use large volumes, they could use their daily supply up every day, thus ensuring no spoilage issues. If you could buy expiring milk for 50% off wholesale, and sell it for 75% of normal price, the margins are obvious.

Does anyone already do this? It seems like a simple, environmentally sound business idea. Maybe the logistics costs of gathering just a few gallons at each grocery store make this unworkable. Still, it seems like a reasonable idea… anyone know if this is already done, or why it wouldn’t work?

Posted on by praveenghanta 1