The Wonk Salon, September 12, 2011

How Hospitals Cross-Subsidize Medical Services
National Bureau of Economic Research
When hospitals face competition in their profitable medical services, surprise, surprise, profits erode and they respond by curtailing subsidizes of less profitable medical service lines.

Why Emergency Rooms Are Closing
Rand Corporation
Between 1990 and 2009, the number of emergency rooms in the United States declined by 27 percent (from 2,446 to 1,779). Why? This fact sheet doesn’t make it clear but it apparently has something to do with… losing too much money!

Inadequate Education Hurting Employment in U.S. Metro Areas
Brookings Institution
One factor holding back the recovery of employment in some metropolitan regions is a mismatch between the supply of, and demand for, educated labor. Brookings’ solution: More investment, guided by wise liberal elites, into sectors like manufacturing and the “green” economy.