Benefit Claims Research Articles

Online ejaculation training programs promote non-evidence-based treatment of male sexual dysfunction.

Purposefully reducing the frequency of ejaculation, coined "semen retention", and the similar practice of "NoFap", have been popularized on social media. They are frequently accompanied by unsubstantiated claims of health benefits. Their increasing popularity has led to the emergence of online courses claiming to teach these techniques. The goal was to characterize the landscape of courses offering ejaculatory training. A systematic Google search was performed using terms related to ejaculation training to identify training programs. Information regarding instructor credentialing, type and duration of courses, costs, and claims of medical benefits were extracted. Eleven ejaculation training courses were identified with 10 instructors (two courses named the same coach). Costs varied from $5 to $147 per week or a $20 to $199 one-time payment. None of the course instructors claimed standardized credentials in the fields of medicine or mental health. Seven instructors (70%) solely cited their own personal experience as their qualifying credentials. Courses claimed to improve erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, porn addiction, sexual performance anxiety, testosterone levels, and/or depression. Ejaculation training programs are costly, readily available online, and provided by instructors with no medical background. Despite no scientific evidence, these courses claim to improve various aspects of men's health and can be potentially damaging financially, physically, and mentally to participants.

A matter of alignment? Effects of product types and environmental claim framing on consumer evaluation of sustainable foods

AbstractDespite a growing interest in environmentally sustainable practices, consumers continue to prioritize taste, quality, and price above environmental concerns when purchasing food products. Previous studies have shown that environmental claims or messages may not uniformly enhance product perceptions. This research examines strategic approaches to framing substantively identical environmental benefit claims differently across product types to enhance consumers' sensory and quality evaluations as well as their willingness‐to‐pay for sustainable foods. Results from two experiments show that consumers' assessments of sustainable utilitarian and hedonic food products can be enhanced if environmental claims are strategically framed in accordance with the nature of product types. The alignment of utilitarian food products with an environment‐focus frame that emphasizes environmental benefits and hedonic food products with a self‐focus frame that stresses the personal relevance of these protections and benefits can enhance consumers' experienced tastiness, quality evaluations, and willingness‐to‐pay for sustainable foods.

Suspicious Minds? Media effects on the perception of disability benefit claimants

Abstract The media are often blamed for widespread perceptions that welfare benefit claimants are undeserving in Anglo-Saxon countries – yet people rarely justify their views through media stories, instead saying that they themselves know undeserving claimants. In this paper, I explain this contradiction by hypothesising that the media shapes how we interpret ambiguous interpersonal contact. I focus on disability benefit claimants, which is an ideal case given that disability is often externally unobservable, and test three hypotheses over three studies (all using a purpose-collected survey in the UK and Norway, n=3,836). In Study 1, I find strong evidence that a randomly-assigned ‘benefits cheat’ story leads respondents to interpret a hypothetical disability claimant as less deserving. Study 2 examines people’s judgements in everyday life, finding that readers of more negative newspapers in the UK are much more likely to judge neighbours as non-genuine – but with effectively no impact on judgements of close family claimants, where ambiguity is lower. However, contra my expectations, in Study 3 I find that Britons are no more likely than Norwegians to perceive known claimants as non-genuine (despite more negative welfare discourses), partly because of different conceptions of what ‘non-genuineness’ means in the two countries.

Acute Toxicity Study of Methanol Extract of Baobab (Adansonia digitata Linn) Fruit Shell Extract in Mice

Background: The natural origin of medicinal plants does not guarantee their safety, as there are no sufficient studies on the safety, efficacy, and toxicity to support their benefit claims. Objectives: This study aimed at investigating the oral acute toxicity of Adansonia digitata L. (A. digitata) fruit shell extract in mice. Methods: The maceration method was employed for the extraction of the A. digitata fruit shell using methanol. The extract was then screened for its phytochemical constituents both qualitatively and quantitatively. Lorke’s method was followed for the toxicity study, and the mice were observed for clinical signs of toxicity and mortality. Further, serum was analyzed for liver and kidney function biomarkers besides the histology of the liver, kidney, and cerebellum. Results: No single death was recorded and no sign of toxicity persisted for more than 2 hours post-administration to the extracts up to 5000 mg/kg. Therefore, the - of A. digitata fruit shell is above 5000 mg/kg. Additionally, no changes were observed in the weights as well as the relative organ weight of the mice. Further, no statistically significant changes were seen in their liver and kidney function biomarkers, besides the relatively intact histological appearance of their liver, kidney, and cerebellum. Conclusion: The oral acute toxicity of methanol extract of A. digitata fruit shell is above 5000 mg/kg; hence, it is relatively safe to use it for medicinal purposes. However, a longer study duration is recommended to evaluate its toxic effects on fertility, teratogenicity, and carcinogenic potentials.

Functional claim increases the acceptance of oat muesli by consumers

Background: Oats-based mueslis contain beta-glucans, a type of soluble fiber known for its hypocholesterolemic and hypoglycemic properties. The claim of these health benefits, oat muesli products may attract potential consumers. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the impact of a functional claim on consumers' acceptance and attitudes toward oat muesli. Additionally, the study evaluated the effects of muesli containing oats on satiety and mood perceptions. Methods: Two muesli products were formulated: one with oats and another with rice flakes (control) for sensory analysis. The oat muesli was presented with two codings (n=160): one with a functional food claim and another without the claim. Consumers were asked about their liking, interest in usage, and perceived benefits before and after tasting the mueslis using hedonic scales. Furthermore, a clinical trial was conducted with 9 healthy adult women subjects (average age 22 years) in a crossover design with a one-week washout period between interventions. The subjects completed a self-perceived mood and satiety questionnaire using visual analog scales (VAS) at Results: The oat muesli with the functional claim was perceived as the most beneficial product among the samples (p<0.05), receiving high scores for liking and interest in use. However, oat muesli consumption did not significantly influence participants' average mood and satiety during the trial (p>0.05), as no significant differences between interventions were found. Conclusion: The inclusion of a functional claim positively affected the acceptance of the health benefits associated with oat muesli.

의료분야 부패의 현황과 부패방지 방안

In May 2023, the SBS ‘Model Taxi 2’ drama, which aired on the theme of corruption in the medical field, recorded a fairly high viewership rating. ‘Model Taxi 2’ was aired with the theme of medical personnel who committed various medical accidents and corruption, such as surrogate surgery by mobilizing pharmaceutical company employees and surgery under the influence of alcohol. It is suspected that such corruption is frequent in the medical field.
 The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission has voted to consider false and fraudulent claims by doctors and medical institutions as corruption. However, the Korean Medical Association systematically protested the decision on the grounds that it fostered mutual distrust among the public, doctors, medical workers, staff and doctors, and the medical field. The medical community is taking a tolerant attitude towards anti-corruption activities, such as internal public interest whistleblowing and fighting to block the implementation of the compensation system.
 In this reality, this study began with the purpose of preventing some medical institutions or medical personnel who commit corruption from committing corruption any more, and protecting medical institutions and medical personnel performing normal medical activities. In addition, based on various data collected by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission through internal public interest reporting newly established in 2003 and the reward system introduced in 2008, the current status and types of corruption in the medical field were analyzed and improvement plans were presented.
 According to the data of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, first, cases of violation of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act are not diverse. In general, these are excessive claims for insurance benefits, hiring unqualified people, lending licenses, or receiving kickbacks rom pharmaceutical companies. Second, compared to the cases of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, corruption related to healthcare takes on quite a variety of forms, and the number of cases is large. Among many acts of corruption, there are many fraudulent claims for insurance benefit costs, and the methods of fraudulent claims for insurance benefit costs vary. In addition, medical personnel directly commit corruption, mobilize employees of medical institutions, or commit themselves by themselves. Corruption such as lending a doctor’s license, acting on behalf of an unqualified person, corruption in bidding, corruption in hiring, bribery, receiving kickbacks, embezzlement, etc. It is no exaggeration to say that it is a department store of corruption. Of course, the same is true for other occupations, but we cannot help but be surprised at the phenomena occurring in the medical field, which requires a high degree of professionalism and strict medical ethics.
 As measures to improve the system to prevent such acts of corruption, the self-regulatory system, strengthening punishment, acceptance of medical ethics laws to strengthen medical ethics, and expansion of targets for ‘corrupt acts’ in the medical field were proposed.

ACCOUNTING FOR SOCIAL SECURITY CLAIMING BEHAVIOR

AbstractWe study why Social Security benefit claiming is concentrated at two ages, 62 and the full retirement age, and provide three main findings. First, we show that claiming behavior can be well explained by a parsimonious life‐cycle model with fully rational agents. The two key mechanisms are (i) the strong unwillingness to hold annuities and (ii) the effects of the earnings test. Second, we show that current rules distort claiming and labor supply decisions, and eliminating these distortions results in large welfare gains. Finally, we show that claiming decisions can be used to sharpen the identification of important preference parameters.

Analisis Penerapan Sistem Akuntansi Klaim Jaminan Kecelakaan Kerja Dan Jaminan Kematian Pada BPJS Ketenagakerjaan Cabang Juanda

This study aims of knowing the procedures for claims for employment injury security and death security applied by the Juanda Branch of BPJS Ketenagakerjaan in order to produce a proper and adequate claim payment accounting system. This type of research uses descriptive research with a qualitative approach. The data used in this study are primary data and secondary data. Primary data was obtained directly through interviews while secondary data was obtained through official documents related to claims for work accident insurance and death benefits. The results showed that the accounting system for work accident claims and death benefits applied to the Juanda Branch of Employment BPJS complies with PP No. 44 of 2015. However, overall the accounting system that is applied is not effective because the system is still experiencing problems caused by the participants' lack of knowledge regarding the requirements that must be attached in submitting claims and services that are only carried out directly at the office. A letter of heirs made by the relevant agency and a chronology of events made by the company or the police are documents that are often not attached by participants.
 Keywords: Accounting System, Employment Injury Security, Death Security

New development: The commodification of social security medical assessments—academic analysis and practitioner experience

IMPACT This article examines an important area of public sector commodification: the medical assessments that determine eligibility for social security benefits. The commodification of this adjudication process has a significant impact on vulnerable welfare benefit claimants. The article has a particular focus on issues commonly experienced by claimants with mental health problems. Drawing on experience of working in the social welfare sector, the authors present professional reflections on the impact of commodification. Best practice guidelines for supporting claimants with social security medical assessments are presented; these make a new contribution by highlighting the approach needed by professionals to effectively navigate the privatized benefit assessment process.

Social Counselling as Policy Intervention: Mediating Welfare Benefit Claims of Romanians in Berlin

This paper examines the role of non-profit organizations (NPOs) in supporting welfare benefit claims by Romanian immigrants in vulnerable situations in Berlin. The study utilizes in-depth qualitative interviews with social counsellors, language mediators, and project leads to explore the function of social counselling offices in assisting these individuals. Social counselling is analysed as both an institutionalized policy intervention and a communicative practice focused on problem-solving. The paper highlights the power asymmetry between counsellor and advice-seeker stemming from the counsellor's superior knowledge of the welfare system, and German society. Social counselling acts as a means of support for individuals to navigate complex institutional arrangements and manage risks in modern society. However, the counsellor's authoritative role in shaping communication constitutes another dimension of power asymmetry. Faced with challenges such as complex legal regulations and limited resources, social counsellors emphasize the need for advice-seekers to gradually take responsibility for their own lives and interact with welfare institutions. This encouragement of self-sufficiency (orig. Ger. Selbstständigkeit) aligns with the principles of German workfare policies. Non-cooperation from advice-seekers in the context of social counselling can be therefore seen as a form of resistance against disciplinary power within the welfare state. The paper raises concerns about the long-term effectiveness and impact of social counselling, noting also the potential for burnout among social counsellors.

Dampak Moratorium Kapal Penangkap Ikan Asing Terhadap Kesejahteraan Nelayan di Indonesia

Indonesia’s Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries on Joko Widodo first period, Susi Pudjiastuti, made a breakthrough on fisheries policy, named foreign fishing vessel moratorium. This policy prohibits foreign fishing vessel to catch fish on Indonesia seas. Foreign fishing vessel which founded catching fish in Indonesia seas will be caught, confiscated, and sinked. Indonesia Government claimed foreign vessel moratorium increase Indonesian fishery household’s earnings and made Indonesian fishermen easier to catch fish than before. The purpose of this study is to examine foreign vessel moratorium’s benefit claims on Indonesian fishery households. National Economic Survey, Survei Ekonomi Nasional (Susenas), used as primary data in this study. Susenas data processed, so that it displays data at the district or city level in Indonesia. After that, Susenas data comibined with village potention and fisheries production data, which published by Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries in Indonesia. The purpose of combining datas was to choose control and treatment district. Furthermore, this data processsed and analyzed by Difference in Difference (DiD) method. The results of this study showed that Indonesian fishery households’ per capita expenditure drops Rp 80.988,25 because of foreign vessel moratorium. In the other hand, Indonesian fishery household’s work duration rise 39-40 minutes per day (assumption six workdays per week). These results showed that Indonesian fishery household didn’t get the benefit from foreign vessel moratorium. Hence, the other policy is needed to increase Indonesian fishery households’ prosperity.

Minimum wages, retirement timing, and labor supply

We find that minimum wage increases lead to increased employment for low-wage, retirement-age individuals using survey data linked to several decades of individual-level IRS and SSA data. Own-wage elasticity estimates of the employment effect are larger than normal for the minimum wage literature but are consistent with recent evidence on labor supply effects of minimum wages and life-cycle models of labor supply. We also find evidence of delayed permanent employment exit and delayed retirement benefit claiming. The delay in benefit claiming appears to be driven by an interaction between minimum wages and the Social Security earnings test. These results suggest that retirement-age individuals are very responsive to changes in labor market opportunities and that minimum wages may complement Social Security incentives that encourage more work and delayed benefit claiming.

COVID-19 as an insurance case of the statutory accident insurance: occupational disease or occupational accident : Relevant knowledge for the (general and abdominal) surgeon

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic resulted in many infections with the virus and sickness due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Therefore, there was adramatic increase in the number of reported and recognized occupational diseases (Berufskrankheit, BK) and occupational accidents (Arbeitsunfall, AU) at the German Social Accident Insurance Institutions (BG) and accident insurance funds (Unfallkassen).The publication aims to show the differences between BK and AU and to review the current data on occupational diseases. It deals with the definitions of BK and AU, the differences in the conditions for recognition as BK or AU. Furthermore, the claims for benefits are presented. Finally, statistical key figures of the BK according to No.3101 and the AU are presented.Results (key points)-According to §7 SGBVII, AU and BK are insured events of the statutory accident insurance.-In surgery, like specifically in the rest of the healthcare system, the relevance of the SARS-CoV‑2 infection with post-COVID in personnel for occupational medical prevention and as acase to be recognized by the statutory accident insurance (BK or AU) becomes clear.-Relevant for the recognition are the duration and the intensity of the contact (local proximity) and the SARS-CoV‑2 occupational health and safety rule of 20 August 2020 essentially recognizes acontact duration of at least 15 min at aspatial distance of less than 1.5-2 m (further aspects: more intensive shorter contacts, number of verifiably infected persons in the closer activity environment or the usual personal contacts, spatial situation, work route, special constellations).-No case numbers can be elicited for the detailed presentation of the surgery setting.-There are still immense problems and challenges in the assessment of COVID-19 consequences or post-COVID as occupational disease, as numerous uncertainty factors, such as insufficiently secured knowledge about the further long-term course over the years or the widely varied symptom spectrum complicates the medical assessment of the consequences of this disease.Conclusion: the SARS-CoV‑2 pandemic is aspecial challenge for surgery with intensive patient contact and for the entire healthcare system. This caused long-lasting changes and the adequate health care as well as insurance law processing of the (case-specific) consequences might still require considerable efforts and resources.

The public health crisis created by UK social policy reforms

As the world is preoccupied by the pandemic, and the British public are beginning to comprehend the full impact of Brexit, the predictable public mental health crisis created by the demolition of the UK social safety net has been disregarded by successive administrations. Few people realised that preventable harm was the inevitable creation of social policy reforms, gradually adopted by every administration since Thatcher, en route to her political ambition which was the demolition of the welfare state to be replaced by private health insurance. In order to demolish the welfare state, it was first necessary to remove the past psychological security provided by the welfare state. This has been achieved, with disability denial created by significant social policy reforms since 2008. To justify the adoption of harsh and unnecessary austerity measures, which were introduced without ethical approval, the Coalition administration elected in 2010 vehemently challenged the integrity of the chronically ill and disabled community and routinely accused disability benefit claimants of fraud; while failing to produce evidence to support their claims. Their often hostile rhetoric encouraged a 213 percent increase in prosecuted disability hate crimes, and successive administrations disregarded the thousands of deaths directly linked to the Work Capability Assessment, which was adopted using a discredited and dangerous biopsychosocial model of assessment to restrict access to long-term disability benefit. Influenced by corporate America since 1992, the UK social policy reforms guaranteed that many of those in greatest need were destined to die when, covertly, killed by the State.

The effects of changes in social security’s delayed retirement credit: Evidence from administrative data

The delayed retirement credit (DRC) increases monthly OASI (Old Age and Survivors Insurance) retired worker benefits for primary beneficiaries who claim after their full retirement age (FRA). For many years, the DRC was set at 3.0 percent per year (0.25 percent monthly). The 1983 amendments to Social Security more than doubled this actuarial adjustment to 8.0 percent per year, with the changes phased in gradually over time. In this paper, we use administrative data from the Social Security Administration (SSA) to estimate the effect of this policy change on individual claiming behavior and labor supply. We focus on the first half of the DRC increase (from 3.0 to 5.5 percent) given changes in other SSA policies that coincided with the later increases. Our findings demonstrate that the increase in the DRC led to an increase in delayed claiming of Social Security benefits among men and strongly suggest that the effects were larger for those with higher lifetime incomes, who would have a greater financial incentive to delay given their longer life expectancies. Furthermore, liquidity constraints play an important role in responsiveness to DRC increases. We do not find evidence of changes to the claiming behavior of women or to labor supply for either men or women.

Formulation and Evaluation of Garlic Capsules for Hypertensive

Although garlic is believed to have health-promoting benefits, many of the claimed benefits are not supported by good scientific studies. This research critically examined current scientific literature concerning claims of cardiovascular benefits from regular consumption of garlic or garlic preparations. The vast majority of recent randomized, placebo-controlled studies do not support a role for garlic in lowering blood lipids. There also is insufficient evidence to support a role in reducing blood pressure. While there have been indications of antiatherosclerotic effects associated with garlic consumption, there are insufficient data in humans. Investigation of antithrombotic effects of garlic consumption appears to hold promise, but too few data exist to draw firm conclusions.

The impact of anti-COVID-19 restrictions and transitory unemployment insurance policies on unemployment in Russia

PurposeDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, transitory unemployment insurance (UI) policies substantially increased unemployment benefits (UBs) and the number of eligible groups in Russia. The procedure for registering as unemployed was moved to an online platform. The present paper aims to distinguish the effect of anti-COVID-19 restrictions on unemployment from that of the transitory unemployment insurance policies.Design/methodology/approachUsing 553,627 approved claims for unemployment benefits from the Russian Public Employment Service (PES) administrative records (June 2019–December 2020), monthly data on the number of individuals registered as unemployed are aggregated in a pseudo panel. A double-difference approach is employed to identify the effects of the social interaction intensity and teleworkability (TW) of the latest occupation on unemployment. The first is associated with a direct effect of anti-COVID-19 restrictions and the latter with the simplified application procedure.FindingsThe face-to-face (F2F) intensity of the latest occupation did not lead to any increase in the number of unemployed persons as could be expected in response to anti-COVID-19 restrictions. Job TW had two opposite effects on unemployment: it decreased individuals' risk of job loss and increased their likelihood of claiming unemployment benefits. Surprisingly, however, in line with the typical response of the Russian labour market to downturns, the latter dominated. The largest response was found among men and individuals with primary education.Originality/valueThis study is the first to attempt to distinguish the effect of anti-COVID-19 restrictions from that of the transitory UI policies on unemployment in Russia.

Unhealthy food advertising on Costa Rican and Guatemalan television: a comparative study.

This study aimed to exhaustively explore the characteristics of food advertising on TV in Guatemala and Costa Rica. The International Network for Food and Obesity Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) Research, Monitoring and Action Support (INFORMAS) methodology was applied. In 2016, we recorded 1440 h of video among 10 TV channels. We used the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Nutrient Profile (NP) Model to identify 'critical nutrients', whose excessive consumption is associated with NCDs. We created a nutritional quality score (0 if the product did not exceed any critical nutrient, 1 if the product exceeded one and 2 if it exceeded ≥2). We classified food ads as permitted (score = 0) and not-permitted (score 1 or 2) for marketing. Persuasive marketing techniques were classified as promotional characters (e.g. Batman), premium offers (e.g. toys), brand benefit claims (e.g. tasty) and health-related claims (e.g. nutritious). In Guatemala, foods that exceeded one critical nutrient were more likely to use persuasive marketing techniques, and in Costa Rica were those with an excess of ≥2 critical nutrients, compared with foods without any excess in critical nutrients [Guatemala: promotional characters (odds ratio, OR = 16.6, 95% confidence interval, CI: 5.8, 47.3), premium offers (OR = 3.4, 95% CI: 1.4, 8.2) and health-related claims (OR = 3.5, 95% CI: 2.2, 5.7); Costa Rica: health-related claims (OR = 4.2, 95% CI: 2.0, 8.5)]. In conclusion, Guatemalan and Costa Rican children are exposed to an overabundance of not-permitted food ads on TV. This justifies implementing national policies to reduce exposure to not-permitted food for marketing, including on TV and other media.

Crop Insurance Model Based on Maximum Daily Rainfall and Maximum Daily Temperature Index

A loss insurance model of risk for agricultural commodities that considers maximum daily rainfall and maximum daily temperature is introduced in this paper. This model requires bivariate distribution of maximum daily rainfall and maximum daily temperature in a specific region. Characteristics of particular agricultural commodity is also needed in the region where the two variables are being insured. The bivariate distribution and commodity characteristics are combined to obtain exit. exit is a benchmark value that causes the total crop failure and gives full benefit claim to policyholder. The case study was demonstrated by using data on maximum daily rainfall and temperature in Dramaga Bogor from September to December during 38 years (1984-2021) . Data was collected from Jawa Barat Climatology Station. Frank Copula is better to represent the bivariate distribution of data. Furthermore, two scenarios had given the premiums as IDR 2 482 925 per hectare and IDR 1 495 660 per hectare. This crop insurance model based on maximum daily rainfall and maximum daily temperature index could be the basis for the next developing of crop insurance model.

Practical Applications of Optimal Claiming of Social Security Benefits

In <ext-link><bold><italic>Optimal Claiming of Social Security Benefits</italic></bold></ext-link>, from the Winter 2023 issue of <bold><italic>The Journal of Retirement</italic></bold>, authors <bold>Steven Diamond</bold> of <bold>Gridmatic</bold>, <bold>Stephen Boyd</bold> and <bold>Mykel Kochenderfer</bold> of <bold>Stanford University</bold>, <bold>Andrew Ang</bold> of <bold>BlackRock</bold> and <bold>David Greenberg</bold> show that when an individual’s wealth is above a certain threshold, they should defer claiming Social Security. Using a life-cycle framework, the authors compute wealth to primary insurance amount (PIA) ratios and provide thresholds to aid in this decision-making process (the PIA is the monthly benefit one would receive at full retirement age). The authors explain how an individual’s monthly Social Security benefit payment amount is based, in part, on the age at which they elect to begin their benefit payments. This decision of when to begin claiming benefits is both highly complex and important because it determines income for the rest of a claimant’s life. One can begin collecting benefits as early as age 62 and as late as age 70, and the longer one waits, the larger the monthly benefit payment will be.