Welcome to Capital Account. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney raised eyebrows yesterday when he said he would "not get rid of all of healthcare reform." Romney's statement made headline news because it differed from his previous rhetoric of "repealing ObamaCare." We would rather hear politicians explain the real reasons for why a trip to the ER for a headache can amount to a bill of $10,000. Could it be that healthcare isn't actually that expensive?
Over the years healthcare costs in the US have increased from 5% of GDP in the 60s to 17.4% in 2009, according to an OECD report published in 2011. A recent report from the Institute of Medicine calculated systemic waste in the US healthcare system at $765 billion, representing 30% of total expenditures. We ask Doctor Keith Smith, Managing Partner and Medical Director for the Surgery Center of Oklahoma, about the role of insurance companies, wasteful administration costs, and hospital inefficiencies.
Keith Smith runs an independent surgical clinic and brings free market competitive prices to surgery. He offers customers lower prices and patients fly in from all over the world, even from countries with universal healthcare systems, to get surgery at his center.
And in today's "Loose Change," Lauren and Demetri discuss former Reagan Budget Director, David Stockman, recent appearance on CNBC. Specifically, Stockman's comment that "Ron Paul is the only one who is right about the Fed, and the Fed is the heart of the problem." Indeed!
A Kentucky man did not consent to have his penis amputated and the doctor who performed the surgery had options other than removing the organ, even though cancer had been found during a surgery, an attorney argued Tuesday. (Sept. 11)
Representatives from the Chicago Teachers Union and the district returned to the bargaining table today as the teachers' strike entered its second day. More than 25,000 teachers are on strike for the first time in a quarter century. (Sept. 11)
Americans marked the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks Tuesday in familiar but subdued ceremonies that put grieving families ahead of politicians and suggested it's time to move on after a decade of remembrance. (Sept. 11)
Baltasar Garzon is no stranger to conflict when it comes to fighting injustice carried out by state powers. In an exclusive interview with RT, the Spanish jurist explained why WikiLeaks founder and whistleblower Julian Assange is "worth defending." READ MORE: http://on.rt.com/pnydlt
Watch the full Keiser Report Episode 339 later on Tuesday!
In this episode, Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert discuss the Paul Bunyan banks, which are too big to be true and all flow, no assets. They also discuss the Bermuda Triangle of Fraud and the London disease. In the second half of the show, Max Keiser talks to investigative journalist and author, Leah McGrath Goodman about her being banned from the UK for reporting on the Jersey sex and murder scandal. They discuss the $5 billion per square mile in laundered money that means Jersey rises, while Switzerland sinks.
Days of Palestinian demonstrations against the high cost of living turned violent in a West Bank city on Monday. Much of the rage is directed at Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, a US-educated economist who oversees the government's finances. In Hebron, about 50 men hurled shoes at a large poster of Fayyad that had the words "Depart, Fayyad" scrawled underneath. The rallies are the largest show of popular discontent with the governing Palestinian Authority in its 18-year history. STORY & PHOTOS: http://on.rt.com/7im3ei
Палестина столкнулась с самыми массовыми протестами за всю историю существования автономии. Демонстранты выступают против роста цен на Западном берегу реки Иордан и обвиняют премьер-министра Саляма Файяда в проведении неэффективной экономической политики. Однако политолог Элиас Зананири полагает, что протесты спровоцированы Израилем и ситуация не изменится, пока Израиль не ослабит контроль над территориями.
Ожидается, что западные ретейлеры будут первыми, кто почувствует на себе все выгоды вступления России во Всемирную торговую организацию. До вступления в ВТО Россия могла защищать собственную текстильную промышленность только путем повышения пошлин на зарубежные товары. Однако теперь участники рынка ожидают притока западных ретейлеров, работающих в самом дешевом сегменте рынка, сообщает корреспондент RT Татьяна Полякова.
Около 50 человек в Хевроне закидали обувью плакат с изображением премьер-министра Палестины Саляма Файяда в знак протеста против низкого уровня жизни на Западном берегу реки Иордан. Файяд занимается пересмотром экономической политики правительства. Нынешние протесты являются крупнейшими за всю историю существования Палестинской автономии.
Now, British writer Alex Preston is in Moscow promoting his debut novel "This Bleeding City."
It's a fictional love story set in London during the credit crunch.
The book has already proved a hit back home - and is now available in Russian.
Prime Time's Elmira Kuznetsova caught up with Preston to talk about his years in the City and what they taught him...
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