The New York Times - By Kevin Sack 

BELLAIRE, Tex. — When the bottom fell out of the automotive market last year, Amberly Allen’s fast-growing direct-mail firm hit a wall in a hurry.

As orders from car dealerships fell by half, Ms. Allen deferred plans to hire more sales representatives. She put off buying the building she now leases in this Houston suburb. And in November, both she and her husband, one of her four employees, stopped drawing salaries.

By Reed Abelson - The New York Times

By Robert Pear - The New York Times 

Editorial - The New York Times

Chronically ill Americans suffer far worse care than their
counterparts in seven other industrial nations, according to a new
study by the Commonwealth Fund, a New York-based foundation that has
pioneered in international comparisons. It is the latest telling
evidence that the dysfunctional American health care system badly needs
reform.

By Uwe E. Reinhardt, New York Times Economix Blog

In my previous blog post,
I showed that America suffers from “excess spending” in its health care
system. Here I will discuss one factor that drives up that spending:
indefensibly high administrative costs.