A Sampling of Clips for 
August 21, 2002

* UCSD faculty and staff may obtain a copy of an article by e-mailing the University Communications Office

Finger pointers can’t settle on who’s to blame for health costs
USA Today, Aug. 2, Pg. 1 – Health care costs are continuing their rapid rise – averaging 13% this year and expected to be more than that next year. Insurers blame rising drug costs for the increase in health care expenses. Drug companies blame HMOs and hospitals, doctors blame lawyers, and it seems everyone blames consumers. (Quotes Richard Kronick, professor of family and preventive medicine at UCSD).
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/2002-08-20-blame-game_x.htm

Comparison shopping with prescriptions
Hartford Courant, Aug. 20, PG. 4 – Research by UCSD professor of economics Alan Sorensen found that drug prices vary significantly from store to store and from drug to drug. Despite the potential for savings, Sorensen’s studies showed that consumers rarely shop around for medication.
* No link available online.

Researchers find volcanoes yield new clues about Earth processes
Oceanspace.net, Aug. 20 – A chain of Central America’s most active volcanoes has given a team of researchers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, New Mexico, and Northern Illinois University a novel glimpse into fundamental earth processes. Their research was published in the August 16 issue of the journal Science. (Quotes David Hilton, a geochemist at Scripps).
http://www.oceanspace.net/story.cfm?hidTitle=6D350F78955A4B479AA5E919B251269A

How oil may play into US war plans in Iraq
Marketplace, Aug. 20 – Mikkal Herberg, UCSD international relations & pacific studies professor, discusses how oil may play into US war plans. Iraq’s control over the second-largest oil reserves in the world, behind Saudi Arabia’s, has to be factored in.
* No link available online.