Around Town -- Other Events of Interest
National Economists Club
Reservations are preferred one business day before an event. Walk-ins are welcome.
Thursday, December 7
Chinatown Gardens
Dr. Chad Moutray
Chief Economist
U.S. Small Business Administration
“The SBA’s Annual Report to the President: ‘The Small Business Economy’”
Dr. Moutray releases the latest SBA Annual Report to the President on “The Small Business Economy”. The SBA’s Annual Report is an extremely useful publication for business, policy makers, the general public, and the media to understand better many key issues driving the U.S. economy, including the important role of small business as an engine of growth of the economy, the employment-generating strength of small business, and the identification of which small businesses are experiencing very rapid growth. Dr. Moutray is an expert in these areas, with a focus on how public policy can encourage innovation and growth among small business, including through public - private partnerships.
Thursday, December 14
Chinatown Gardens
Health Care Panel, “How do the PPI and the CPI Price Medical Services?”
Moderator: Mike Horrigan, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
PPI Expert: Bonnie Murphy, BLS
CPI Expert: Dan Ginsberg, BLS
Discussants: Mark Freeland, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
Ana Aizcorbe, Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
The appropriate pricing of medical services in government statistics is a critical issue for us all, professionally and personally. It is also the focus of intense debate within the economics community. Because of the particular characteristics of medical services, the statistical and data issues are extremely challenging - to say the least. With an aging population and a rising intensity of services, the weight of the medical sector in the economy is increasing in importance. To attempt to address these issues, the NEC is sponsoring a panel discussion led by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with comments by representatives from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). This panel should be of great interest to both the expert and the novice, who wishes to understand how these complex issues are being debated and tackled within the economics profession.
(Note: Lunch service begins at noon and the panel will begin at 12.30, as usual, but this unique NEC program will end at 2 o’clock, half an hour later than the normal 1.30. Everyone is welcome to arrive and depart as their schedule permits, but we urge you to stay for the whole program, if possible.)
Thursday, December 21
Chinatown Gardens
Harry Holzer
Georgetown University
TBA
Thursday, January 4
Chinatown Gardens
Bert Ely
Ely & Company
“The “Ratchet Mortgage” and It’s Many Benefits”
Mr. Ely is a nationally known and quoted expert on GSEs, deposit insurance, and banking structure issues since 1981. Mr. Ely will make a presentation on the “Ratchet Mortgage” invention (patent pending), which he has developed along with Dr. Andy Kalotay. The Ratchet Mortgage can be viewed as a one-way ARM whose rate will index down in accord with a published index, but never go up again. This feature essentially automates the refinancing of fixed-rate mortgages, with optimal timing and at no cost.
NABE
The NABE Policy conference is coming this spring. For more information go to their website http://www.nabe.com/pc07/index.html.