Who Are We and Why? Hearing Economics Gets all Dark and Existential
Hearing Economics is forever asking Why–usually more than 5 times– especially when it comes to the Why of hearing aid prices. The Pricing series has asked the Whys of manufacturing costs, retail Price, and wholesale pricing for different dispensing models. The Why of “markup” shows that net profit–the true markup–is well below $100/hearing aid. That…
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Econ 202: Let Them Eat Cake, Monopolists at Work
“My position on cake is pro-having it, and pro-eating it.” Boris Johnson, colorful British politician I’m with Boris and Marie on that one — cake for all… who can afford it. And I want to make all the cakes. In short, I’m a born Monopolist. I’ll bet you are too. So, why aren’t we all…
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Hearing Economics Hits the Century Mark and Contemplates the Meaning of Life
Hearing Economics has clawed its way to the 100-post peak today, a dubious achievement signifying either celebration or an urgent need to jump off and get a life. A third option is to figure out the meaning of life by writing yet another post. The following are weird, funny, disconcerting, or just plain embarrassing items…
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Influenza and Audiologists: Mitigating Harm to Life and Wallet
Today wraps up a 3-part series on flu vaccination by looking at private versus public sector efforts to vaccinate and protect, being mindful that we need to protect not only ourselves and our patients, but our professional livelihoods as well. It’s a perfect blend of Economics and Ethics and, I’d like to point out, Marketing. If it were…
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To Regulate or Not To Regulate, That is the Question
The last post on Government regulation introduced gluts and shortages, both undesirable, inefficient and unsustainable–theoretically– in a free market. “Theoretically” because the free market of classical economics is modeled on a world of “complete information, interchangeable goods and services, and lack of market power” — a world that exists only in theory. Laissez-faire{{1}}[[1]]tr: Leave [us] alone.[[1]] gets…
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