BRIEFLY NOTED

Moody’s Investors Service reviewed 431 health care credits in 2005. It upgraded 46, downgraded 42 and affirmed the bond ratings on 343. (Source: Moody’s Investors Service; 01/10/06)

State spending for higher education grew at the fastest rate in five years in 2005. General fund appropriations for post-secondary education rose by 5.3% to $66.6 billion. This is the biggest jump since a 7% increase in 2001. (Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education; 01/13/06)

43% of first marriages in the U.S. now end in divorce. 65% of remarriages involve children from a prior marriage. 60% of remarriages with kids end in divorce. (Source: Newsweek; 01/09/06)

Each year, 8% of the more than 50 million travelers to developing countries become sick enough to seek health care. (Source: Associated Press; 01/12/06)

While pharmaceutical companies suffer through a period of patent losses on key drugs, retail pharmacies are reaping the benefit from this event. Drugstores earn an average $11 profit per prescription on a generic drug, but only $8.50 on brand name treatments. (Source: Associated Press; 01/08/06)

Between 1998 and 2005, 561 miners were killed in the U.S.; equal to more than 1/4 of the current casualties in the Iraqi war. (Source: Associated Press; 01/09/06)

The number of over-55 health and fitness club members has increased six fold since 1993, to 10.2 million. (Source: AARP Bulletin; January 2006)

An estimated 1 in 20 U.S. adults is not literate in English, which means 11 million people lack the skills to perform everyday tasks. (Source: Associated Press; 12/16/05)

"The perception of higher education as an important public good has eroded. Higher education is viewed by some as a private good with the benefits accruing to the student in the form of higher future wages and quality of life." (Source: Quote by Michael Moskow, President of the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank)

The hospital industry spent $100 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars over the past five years on new facilities, up 47% from the previous five years. $23.7 billion was spent in 2005 alone. Bed capacity fell by 18,000 to 808,000 beds between 2001 and 2004. (Source: USA Today; 01/03/06)

The earth’s magnetic pole is drifting away from North America and towards Siberia at such a clip that Alaska might lose its Northern Lights in the next 50 years. (Source: Associated Press; 12/12/05)

New Mexico plans to use $100 million of state severance tax bonds to build the world’s first commercial space port. Work is to begin in 2007 with plans to send 50,000 customers into space in the first 10 years of operation. First trips are planned for 2008. (Source: The Bond Buyer; 12/15/05)

Americans, on average, want to live to be 87, nine years longer than current life expectancy. (Source: AARP Bulletin; December 2005)

The costs of owning a small dog for 15 years now exceeds $12,000 and $23,000 for a large dog which lives 12 years. This includes costs associated with destruction of household items. (Source: The Wall Street Journal; 12/31/05)

Over the past five years, total annual borrowing for student loans has soared 85%, outpacing the 41% rise in public-college costs and the 28% increase at private schools. In 2004, 73% of private college students had taken out loans averaging $19,400. (Source: The Wall Street Journal; 12/31/05)

Today, 35.2 million foreign born people live in the U.S., about 12.1% of the total population. In the past five years, 7.9 million people have entered our country legally. (Source: Associated Press; 12/13/05)

Blue Cross Blue Shield wants to launch its own bank which will administer its consumer-directed health plans. By 2010, HSA accounts are estimated to hold $75 billion in assets and result in $3.5 billion in asset management and account fees. (Source: Yahoo News; 12/05/05)

The system of currents that shuttle heat around the Atlantic Ocean weakened markedly over the past 16 years, a consequence of greenhouse warming. (Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education; 12/07/05)

The U.S. had just 37 cases of measles in 2004, the smallest number in 90 years of record keeping. Nearly all reported cases resulted from overseas travel. The U.S. vaccination rate against measles is over 90%. (Source: Yahoo News; 12/08/05)

Manufacturing is going the way of agriculture. Productivity is growing so quickly that only a small percentage of our population will be needed to make the goods our society needs. In 2005, manufacturing jobs dropped below 10% of the population for the first time. Less than 2% of the population works on farms. (Source: Economist; 10/30/05)

Courtroom trials have been steadily declining since 1980. Federal trials are down to 5,500 cases in 2004, from 14,300 in 1984. Federal sentencing guidelines are so stiff that 95% of all defendants opt for plea deals. Law firms are seeking more pro-bono work to maintain their associates’ courtroom skills. (Source: The Wall Street Journal; 12/01/05)

57% of all student applications in 2004 were completed online, compared with 35% in 2003. (Source: The Wall Street Journal; 11/30/05)

Abandoned in an era of budget surpluses, the 30-Year Treasury Bond is back after a four year hiatus. (Source: Newsweek; 11/28/05)

Of the top 20 states ranked by per capita hospital expenses in 2004, 14 had some form of CON (Certificate of Need) and 6 had none. (Source: Price Waterhouse Coopers Study)

Investment in early education pays dividends later. Studies show poor children who participated in early education programs committed fewer crimes, received less welfare and make more money. (Source: Region Focus; Fall 2005)

In an ironic twist, the new Medicare drug program will eliminate the ability of uninsured patients to get free medication from drug makers. (Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 11/17/05)

Some statistics regarding today’s Fortune 1000 CFO’s: 31% have MBA’s, 35% have CPA’s, and 10% have both. Only 8% are women. Average compensation is $906,440. (Source: CFO; November 2005)

Almost half of today’s college seniors took at least one course from another school, making transfer policies very important. (Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education; 11/11/05)

Revenue gains across all 50 states have given a reprieve from further cuts for most, but not all Medicaid programs. In 2005, 19 states increased reimbursement rates for providers. (Source: Modern Healthcare; 10/17/05)

The AIDS virus may be losing its multiplication strength. HIV-1, the most common strain of the virus, may be adapting to humans as it passes from person to person and is becoming less efficient at multiplying in its host. Thus, the virus could fade in 20, 200, or 2000 years. (Source: Scientific American; December 2005)

People who exercise can add three years to their life and benefit from something as simple as walking a half hour per day. (Source: Associated Press; 11/15/05)

Start-up companies are rolling out memory-building computer games to retirees. Claims that users have mental activity of someone 5 to 10 years younger are common. Traditional physical fitness facilities are now developing programs to exercise brain function. (Source: The Wall Street Journal; 12/31/05)

Cut-backs by commercial airlines, especially to smaller, regional airports, are leaving many colleges with much less than desirable services for students and faculty. Some schools are even looking into airplane ownership as an option. (Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education; 09/30/05)

Average U.S. newspaper circulation fell 2.6% last year as more people, especially young adults, turn to the Internet for news. (Source: Associated Press; 11/08/05)

Some medical insurance statistics: 28% of adults were unable to pay for some form of medical care in the past 12 months; 1 in 5 Americans have a least one delinquent medical bill; 2 of 10 say health care costs are their 2nd highest monthly expense (following mortgage); 12% report they have used all or most of their savings because of medical bills. (Source: USA Today, Kaiser Family Foundation)

The use of just in time inventory purchasing, coupled with manufacturing glitches and supply chain problems for drugs and other medical supplies, puts the U.S. in jeopardy should a pandemic occur. (Source: The Wall Street Journal; 01/10/06)

A primary benefactor of the dramatic increase in structured financings is the rating agencies which review and rate these bond issues. Moody’s stock is up almost 50% from a year ago. Moody’s alone rated $140 billion in collateralized debt obligations in 2005, up from less than $100 billion in 2004. (Source: The Wall Street Journal; 01/19/06)

Palliative care programs are a rapidly growing trend in U.S. hospitals. From 2001 to 2003, such in-hospital programs have grown from 632 (15%) to 1,027 (25%). (Source: H&HN; January 2006)

Of 147 women of varying ages, those who received flowers smiled significantly more than those who received fruit, sweets or a candle. (Source: USA Weekend; 01/22/06)