Healthcare Matters

I hope you all have a lovely Earth Day on Sunday! 

Okay, but being thin does not always mean “healthy”

Is A Fat Tax In America’s Future?

Put down that junk food and hit the treadmill. 1 in 3 Americans believe that obese people should pay more in taxes than healthy weight people, according to a national survey conducted last week by my firm, Phalanx Investment Partners LLC, utilizing a national survey service.  In addition, a higher percentage of Americans believe we should tax obese people rather than tax high-fat and high-sugar foods.

Hopefully this works?

Early Use of Drug Might Slow Progression of Multiple Sclerosis

Early use of the multiple sclerosis drug interferon beta-1a might slow and even stop progression of the disease, according to new research from the American Academy of Neurology. Patients who received interferon soon after their first disease symptoms were less likely to see the disease progress into “clinically definite” multiple sclerosis, which is categorized as having had two separate attacks along with two separate lesions.

Quite the deal.

Nestlé Is Near Deal for Pfizer Infant Unit

Pfizer Inc. is close to selling its infant-nutrition business to Nestlé SA for at least $9 billion, people familiar with the matter said, in what would be one of the largest deals so far this year.

Cleaning things up a bit?

Sens. Richard Burr and Tom Coburn Introduce a New Plan to Reform the FDA

Sens. Richard Burr (R., N.C.) and Tom Coburn (R., Okla.) were last seen in this space proposing the best-yet plan for reforming Medicare. Yesterday, they rolled out a new bill, this one designed to significantly improve the regulation of drugs and medical devices at the FDA. While their plan can’t change the FDA’s fundamental incentive to stall innovation, it does much to make sure the FDA is held more accountable for its actions.

From Spend Matters

Friday Rant: My Own “3Fs”

Down at Beeline’s conference this week, I had the chance to catch 40 minutes of a much longer presentation by the world’s guru on customer service, Ron Kaufman. While a very good self-promoter down to the personable business cards left at everyone’s place at the event — Google him and check out his site — Ron is one of the best business speakers I’ve heard. His shtick on enhancing customer intimacy and service is anything but rocket science when compared to procurement, but man, is he good at communicating his ideas.

From Spend Matters UK/Europe

Good news and bad news for procurement tweeters…

Many thanks to all of you who replied to our competition a couple of weeks back asking “what’s the worst Tweet you could receive as a Procurement professional”? Several suggestions focused quite strongly on the bribery and corruption aspects… funny that!