Health Insurance Reform Research Articles

Genetic Testing Utilisation in Patients with Cardiomyopathy: A Real-World Data Analysis

US professional guidelines support genetic testing (GT) for dilated, hypertrophic, restrictive, arrhythmogenic, and peripartum cardiomyopathy to confirm a diagnosis, guide management, enable clinical trials, and/or allow more informed genetic counselling. Data from a commercial laboratory showed that 1 in 4 individuals who had cardiomyopathy GT billed to a US health insurer had a positive result; however, which patients undergo GT is largely unknown.

Market Facilitation Program Payments, Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Coverage and Off-Farm Employment

Market Facilitation Program Payments, Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Coverage and Off-Farm Employment

“How Could I Choose My Health Insurance Plan” Determinants of Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Plan Selection: Application of Machine Learning Technique

“How Could I Choose My Health Insurance Plan” Determinants of Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Plan Selection: Application of Machine Learning Technique

'How could I choose my health insurance plan' Determinants of employer-sponsored health insurance plan selection: application of machine learning technique

'How could I choose my health insurance plan' Determinants of employer-sponsored health insurance plan selection: application of machine learning technique

Labor Market Search, Illness, and the Value of Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance

Labor Market Search, Illness, and the Value of Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance

Measuring the perception of quality management primary healthcare services through SERVQUAL model

The quality of healthcare is more difficult to identify than other services because it is the clients themselves and their quality of life that gets evaluated (Eiriz & Figueiredu, 2005). The main aim of this study is to investigate people’s perceptions and expectations regarding the quality of services in primary health care (PHC) in Kosovo. A national level survey provides baseline findings intuitively understandable to policymakers on the expectations — perceptions of the quality of services at the PHC level and identifying the quality gap between the expectations and perceptions in all dimensions of different facilities. This comparative test will show the differences between the level of quality services provided by each PHC provider in Kosovo. This research seeks to improve the access and the quality of the priority services at PHC, including maternal and child health (MCH) and non-communicable disease (NCD). This research showed that at the national level the patients have higher expectations toward PHC services. Whereas, in specific, this study showed that there is a significant gap in expected and perceived services of the PHC system between different ethnic patients and different levels of citizen education. Therefore, the result of this study will contribute to enhancing the sustainability of the mandatory health insurance reform and raise the alarm of relevant institutions to reshape the policy-making in order to improve the population health outcome.

Welfare Effects of Health Insurance Reform: The Role of Elastic Medical Demand

Welfare Effects of Health Insurance Reform: The Role of Elastic Medical Demand

The Impact Of Household Health Insurance Coverage Gains On Children's Achievement In Iowa: Evidence From The ACA.

Low family income is associated with worse child academic achievement. Little is known about how health insurance expansions affect children's achievement in low-income households. This study examined the effects of the Affordable Care Act's coverage expansions primarily for Medicaid and Marketplace enrollment, beginning in 2014, on children's academic achievement in Iowa. The study employed a unique linkage of birth certificates and data on standardized school tests for children in Iowa and took advantage of differences in uninsurance rates across areas in the state before the ACA insurance expansions. There is evidence that the ACA expansions beginning in 2014 were associated with higher reading scores after three years for children born to mothers with a high school education or less. There is no consistent evidence of an effect on math scores. Overall, these findings suggest broad spillover benefits from health insurance expansions to the well-being and development of children in low-income households that should be part of the continuing policy debate surrounding state and national health insurance reforms.

The Role of Education In Health Policy Reform Outcomes: Evidence From Japan

The Role of Education In Health Policy Reform Outcomes: Evidence From Japan

Health Insurance Literacy Levels of Information Intermediaries: How Prepared Are They to Address the Growing Health Insurance Access Needs of Consumers?

Background:With rising unemployment rates brought on by coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, the rates of underinsured and uninsured consumers are likely to rise. Health information intermediaries play a critical role in assisting consumers with navigating the complexities of the United States health care system and the ever-changing health care policy landscape. Not much is known about the health insurance literacy (HIL) levels of information intermediaries and their ability to assist consumers with making informed decisions about their health insurance.Objective:This study aimed to examine the association between information intermediary levels of HIL, sociodemographic factors, and confidence and behaviors in assisting consumers with health insurance needs.Methods:We surveyed 118 information intermediaries from various roles to assess objective and subjective HIL, frequency, and confidence in assisting consumers, and confidence in understanding changes in federal health reform policies and state Medicaid waiver programs.Key Results:Less than one-half (39%) of information intermediaries had high subjective HIL and much fewer (13%) had high objective HIL. The average frequency of assisting consumers with health insurance scores were somewhat low, and confidence in assisting consumers with health insurance scores and confidence with understanding state and federal policies were modest. Results from our logistic regression model indicated that confidence in assisting consumers was found to be the only significant contributor to high subjective HIL. For every one-point increase on the confidence assisting subscale, there was a 35% increase in the information intermediaries having high subjective HIL.Conclusions:Findings from this study, coupled with rising uninsured rates, indicate the need for tailored training programs and resources to equip our information intermediaries to provide timely and appropriate health insurance support for consumers. [HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2022;6(1):e30–e36.]Plain Language Summary:In a sample of 118 information intermediaries, representing community health workers, navigators, and other people in outreach roles, the majority had low subjective and objective HIL. We also found that as confidence with assisting consumers with health insurance needs increases, HIL increased as well. These findings indicate that tailored training programs and resources are needed to equip information intermediaries to provide health insurance support for consumers.

Ključni izazovi u reformisanju zdravstvenog sistema Srbije u uslovima pandemije COVID-19 na putu ka održivom i decentralizovanom sistemu

Health care is the most important activity and human kind is dealing with its organization for centuries. Public health policies and functional health care systems have as their primary objectives the preservation and improvement of public health. Problems of intensive aging of the population, continuous growth of health spending, ensuring sustainable financing of health systems and efficient use of resources are present in all world health systems. Health care system reforms have become a global phenomenon for the last twenty years of the last century. The goal of this review paper is to point out the importance and need for timely modifications of the strategy of the health care optimization plan in Serbia by 2035, so that the health care system of Serbia would be ready to respond to potential global health crises in the future. The Plan for optimizing the health care institutions network by 2035 as a key document of the Master Plan will be briefly presented with an analysis of key parameters of health care effectiveness and above all improvement of the implementation of basic principles of health care - uniformity and availability of health services on the territory of Republic of Serbia. In order to present future key changes in the health system, it is necessary to take into account the current situation, as well as the potential consequences of the global pandemic of COVID-19 virus on health systems. Databases were used for analysis: WHO, OECD, World Bank Reports. The tendency of increasing the share of health care costs in GDP, with the problems of efficient use of health care resources, is becoming the most important reason for reforming health insurance and health care in almost all countries in the world. Numerous researches of eminent experts in the field of economy and finance indicate that the introduction of compulsory health insurance with a clearly defined package of health conditions is the most rational choice in the implementation of the World Health Organization project: "Health for all in the 21st century". A health system could be said to be effective if it provides health care of maximum quality in terms of medical outcome, with minimal costs in relation to the allocated funds. Health care systems around the world today face very similar problems, and the COVID-19 pandemic has shown how "vulnerable" it is not only the health system but all of humanity when faced with such challenges.

Practical lessons from a general dentist of more than 50 years private practice plus 2 years of United States Air Force practice

Having practiced over 54 years the art and science of general dentistry, many changes in philosophy and performance have occurred. Some are minor while others very major. This series of observations will treat some in detail while others very briefly. The physical locations have been in the Dallas, Texas area of the USA. Definitions of terms set the stage for discussion of the basis of dentistry. Support for the scientific as well as evidence-based approaches is laid forth. Filling materials have transitioned from amalgam to composite being most prevalent. Fluoride added to local water supplies has decreased the number of decayed/sensitive teeth, the timing of initial decay, and the prognosis for remediation. pH is a major player in the deterioration of tooth structure. New understandings of tooth brushing and oral hygiene have significantly improved the future for continuing dental health. Absence of fluoride in bottled water has taken a front-center stage for helping/hurting chances of keeping teeth free of decay. Fluoride varnishes have widespread acceptance in America. Failure to seek routine dental care has influenced the outcomes for many younger patients, especially those who have graduated high school, gone off to college or into the workforce. Such lack of routine preventive influence raises the costs of care when it is received, often leading to complaints from patients about the high costs of repair. The alternative is prevention with ongoing consistent 6-month recalls/repairs when problems initiate, rather than allowing problems of long duration. The USA dental insurance industry adverse impact on practicing dentists is a vital monologue. Revealing the dental insurance industry as a number one concern of many surveys of practicing dentists is a way of preparing international countries for learning from the flawed USA models. Recent Congressional law, HR 1418, the Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act, will address some of the most critical wrongs by placing the dental insurance industry into antitrust restraints. Current concerns about digital X-ray’s diagnostic potential are revealed. Conservative dentistry is promoted. Results of conservative practice from nearly 50 years are documented with photos and X-rays. Bonded bridge technology is highlighted for its valued impact.

Equity of health care financing in South Korea: 1990\u20132016

BackgroundThe National Health Insurance in Korea has been in operation for more than 30 years since having achieved universal health coverage in 1989 and has gone through several policy reforms. Despite its achievements, the Korean health insurance has some shortfalls, one of which concerns the fairness of paying for health care.MethodUsing the population representative Household Income and Expenditure Survey data in Korea, this study examined the yearly changes in the vertical equity of paying for health care between 1990 and 2016 by the source of financing using the Kakwani index, considering health insurance and other related policy reforms in Korea during this period.ResultsThe study results suggest that direct tax was the most progressive mode of health care financing in all years, whereas indirect tax was proportional. The out-of-pocket payments were weakly regressive in all years. The Kakwani index for health insurance contributions was regressive but now is proportional to the ability to pay, whereas the Kakwani index for private health insurance premiums turned from progressive to weakly regressive. The Kakwani index for overall health care financing showed a weak regressivity during the study period.DiscussionThe overall health care financing in Korea has transformed from a slight regressivity to proportional over time between 1990 and 2016. It is expected that these changes were closely related to the improved equity of health insurance contributions from 1998 to 2008, which was the result of a merger of the health insurance societies and an amendment in the health insurance contribution structure. These results suggest that standardizing insurance managing organizations and financing rules potentially has positive implications for the equity of healthcare financing in a country where the major method of health care financing is social health insurance.

Health Care Utilization for Privately and Publicly Insured Children During Autism Insurance Reform.

We examined the effects of insurance type on health service utilization among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) following autism insurance reform by analyzing the most recent data from the 2019 National Survey of Children's Health. Families with private insurance were less likely to report that their health insurance covered needed services compared to families with public insurance. Privately versus publicly insured children were not significantly different in receiving behavioral or medication treatment, or in parental frustration in efforts to obtain services. However, parents' frustration escalated with increased ASD severity. Findings from this study suggest the need for continuing to improve implementation of health insurance reform legislation and providing adequate ASD-related services for children with private insurance.

Vaccine initiation and 3-dose series completion of 4vHPV vaccine among US insured males 2012–2016

ObjectiveThe quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine (4vHPV, GARDASIL®), was approved in the US in 2009 for use in males aged 9 to 26 for the prevention of HPV-related genital warts, and in 2010 for the prevention of certain HPV-related anogenital diseases. A regimen was approved in 2016 for those who initiate the vaccine series between the ages of 9 to 14 years. We describe patterns of 4vHPV administration among US males before this modification. MethodsThe study used a US health insurance claims database, and included males, age 9 to 26 years, who initiated 4vHPV between 2012 and 2016. Time from first dose to subsequent doses was estimated. Logistic regression identified factors associated with regimen completion. ResultsAmong 100,786 males who initiated 4vHPV (corresponding to ∼ 13% of male birth cohorts), 50,573 (50.2%) and 25,763 (25.6%) received a second and third dose, respectively. Annual administration was common, with 47% of males receiving 3 doses over 3 years (1 dose per year) as compared to 12% receiving the 3-dose series in the recommended 6-month timeframe. Receipt of 4vHPV was 2.2 (range 1.5 to 2.9) times as likely to occur in summer months compared to other times of the year. Individuals aged 18 to 21 years and those living in Western states or rural regions were less likely to complete the 3-dose regimen. ConclusionsThe real-world patterns of 4vHPV vaccination observed, particularly the low uptake and regimen completion, suggest that better strategies are needed for males to improve 4vHPV vaccine use in males.

Mandatory employer-sponsored health financing scheme for semiformal workers in Bangladesh: An experimental assessment

In this study, we present findings from an experimental evaluation of a mandatory employer-sponsored health insurance scheme in Bangladesh. We randomly introduced the scheme to female artisans to understand the impacts on healthcare utilisation, expenditure and subjective well-being using both survey and administrative data. Our findings suggest that the scheme broke even; however, it covered only six percent of the overall health expenditure and 16 percent of the hospitalisation costs. We find higher inpatient care utilisation, particularly among women, and in favour of empanelled hospitals causally associated with the intervention, consistent with the design of the scheme. We do not find significant healthcare savings or improvement in subjective well-being, consistent with low coverage. The findings suggest the scheme to be financially sustainable and it changes the healthcare seeking behaviours as the scheme incentivises. However, meaningful savings and protection against catastrophic health expenditures will require a higher level of coverage.

Did the affordable care act increase the availability of employer‐sponsored health insurance?

AbstractThe 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) included two provisions, the Employer Shared Responsibility Provision (the “employer mandate”) and the Small Business Health Options Program (“SHOP”), aimed at increasing the availability of employer‐sponsored health insurance (ESI) among workers at small firms. To examine whether these provisions led to greater ESI availability, I use 2011–2017 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data in a difference‐in‐difference framework that compares changes in ESI availability among workers at small and large firms before and after the ACA's provisions come into effect. My estimates show that there is a 3.5 percentage point increase in ESI availability among workers at smaller firms after 2013. When focusing on workers most likely to be affected by the employer mandate, I find a larger 5.2 percentage point increase in ESI availability, amounting to a 39% decline in the proportion who do not have ESI available. However, I find no evidence that greater ESI availability led to increases in ESI coverage rates. Instead, descriptive estimates suggest that gains in health insurance coverage after 2013 consist of significant increases in the number of working adults who report having Medicaid coverage, including among workers who are offered ESI. I use MEPS data for my analysis because, along with employment, firm size, and health insurance details, MEPS also provides health status and healthcare access/utilization information. Looking at changes in these health measures, I find only limited evidence to suggest that the ACA's provisions improved access to care or measures of health status for workers.

Estimating heterogeneous policy impacts using causal machine learning: a case study of health insurance reform in Indonesia

Policymakers seeking to target health policies efficiently towards specific population groups need to know which individuals stand to benefit the most from each of these policies. While traditional approaches for subgroup analyses are constrained to only consider a small number of pre-defined subgroups, recently proposed causal machine learning (CML) approaches help explore treatment-effect heterogeneity in a more flexible yet principled way. Causal forests use a generalisation of the random forest algorithm to estimate heterogenous treatment effects both at the individual and the subgroup level. Our paper aims to explore this approach in the setting of health policy evaluation with strong observed confounding, applied specifically to the context of mothers’ health insurance enrolment in Indonesia. Comparing two health insurance schemes (subsidised and contributory) against no insurance, we find beneficial average impacts of enrolment in contributory health insurance on maternal health care utilisation and infant mortality, but no impact of subsidised health insurance. The causal forest algorithm identified significant heterogeneity in the impacts of contributory insurance, not just along socioeconomic variables that we pre-specified (indicating higher benefits for poorer, less educated, and rural women), but also according to some other characteristics not foreseen prior to the analysis, suggesting in particular important geographical impact heterogeneity. Our study demonstrates the power of CML approaches to uncover unexpected heterogeneity in policy impacts. The findings from our evaluation of past health insurance expansions can potentially guide the re-design of the eligibility criteria for subsidised health insurance in Indonesia.

First Salvage Therapy for Relapsed or Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Associated Health Care Resource Use and Costs

BackgroundFor relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (R/R AML), treatments used include high-intensity cytotoxic chemotherapy regimens (HIC); low-intensity chemotherapy (LIC); targeted therapies administered as either a single agent or as part of combination therapy; or venetoclax, often in combination with LIC. As options increase for patients with R/R AML, an understanding of the real-world health care resource use (HRU) and costs associated with different treatment regimens is needed.ObjectiveWe described HRU and costs associated with HIC alone, LIC alone, and select novel, orally administered therapies (alone or in combination with chemotherapy) to better understand HRU and costs of first salvage therapy for AML.MethodsThis was a retrospective analysis using the IBM MarketScan ® database which contains medical and drug data from ~40 million people annually who are covered by employer-sponsored private health insurance in the United States. The time frame for this claims analysis was 1/1/2017-12/31/2019. HRU and costs were estimated for 5 mutually exclusive treatment groups: HIC alone, LIC alone, gilteritinib, other FLT3 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), and venetoclax. Gilteritinib, other FLT3 TKIs, and venetoclax treatments could be single-agent or in combination with chemotherapy. Patients aged ≥18 years at AML diagnosis with continuous health plan enrollment for ≥180 days prior to first AML diagnosis and through start of first salvage therapy were included in the analysis. Evidence of R/R AML was determined by diagnosis code and use of a treatment-based algorithm (Grinblatt DL, et al. Blood. 2020;136[Suppl. 1]:24-25). Descriptive statistics were used to characterize baseline patient demographic and clinical characteristics and HRU and costs through treatment. HRU and costs were reported as per-patient per-month (PPPM).ResultsMost baseline characteristics were similar across treatment groups (eg, % male, 45.6%-57.1%; mean Charlson comorbidity scores, 3.07-3.86; and mean all-cause health care costs during 6-months pretreatment, $201,583-$253,437). Mean (SD) patient age overall was 54.1 (14.9) years; the venetoclax group appeared older (61.2 years). The frequency of prior HIC treatment in the overall sample was 38.1%; a majority of patients treated with gilteritinib (64.3%) and other FLT-3 TKIs (55.9%) had prior HIC treatment. Of patients receiving gilteritinib, other FLT3 TKIs, and venetoclax, 6 (42.9%), 33 (48.5%), and 77 (96.3%) respectively, were receiving concomitant chemotherapy. Almost all patients were hospitalized during HIC; the percentage of patients requiring hospitalization was lower and comparable across other treatment groups (Table). Hospital length of stay was highest in the HIC group and lowest in the gilteritinib group. Intensive care unit stays PPPM were highest in the HIC and venetoclax groups and lowest in the gilteritinib group. In the outpatient setting, physician office visits and outpatient hospital visits PPPM were higher in the LIC, other FLT3 TKIs, and venetoclax groups and lower in the HIC and gilteritinib groups (Table). Transfusion-related physician office and outpatient hospital visits PPPM were higher in the venetoclax group than in the other groups. The highest health care costs PPPM were in the HIC group with costs being similar for the other treatment groups (Table). Inpatient costs were highest in the HIC group and lowest in the gilteritinib group; outpatient costs were highest in the LIC and venetoclax groups and lowest in the HIC, gilteritinib, and other FLT3 TKI groups. Transfusion costs in the outpatient setting were the highest in the venetoclax group and the lowest in the gilteritinib group. Prescription claim costs were the highest in the gilteritinib group and lower in the HIC, LIC, and venetoclax groups.ConclusionAcross select treatments for R/R AML in first salvage, inpatient HRU was generally the highest for the HIC group while outpatient HRU was generally the highest in the LIC and venetoclax groups, with the highest number of outpatient transfusion visits noted in the venetoclax group. Analyses of total all-cause costs showed that costs were the highest in the HIC group and similar in the LIC, gilteritinib, other FLT3 TKIs, and venetoclax groups. Although prescription drug costs were high in the gilteritinib group, these high costs were partially offset by low HRU in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. [Display omitted] DisclosuresMuffly: Adaptive: Honoraria, Other: fees for non-CME/CE services: , Research Funding; Astellas, Jasper, Adaptive, Baxalta: Research Funding; Pfizer, Amgen, Jazz, Medexus, Pfizer: Consultancy. Young: Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Current Employment. Nimke: Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Current Employment. Sullivan: Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Current Employment. Feng: Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Current Employment. Pandya: Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Current Employment.

Growth In ACA-Compliant Marketplace Enrollment And Spending Risk Changes During The COVID-19 Pandemic.

In 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic caused millions to lose their jobs and, consequently, their employer-sponsored health insurance. Enacted in 2010, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) created safeguards for such events by expanding Medicaid coverage and establishing Marketplaces through which people could purchase health insurance. Using a novel national data set with information on ACA-compliant individual insurance plans, we found large increases in Marketplace enrollment in 2020 compared with 2019 but with varying percentage increases and spending risk implications across states. States that did not expand Medicaid had enrollment and spending risk increases. States that expanded Medicaid but did not relax 2020 Marketplace enrollment criteria also had spending risk increases. In contrast, states that expanded Medicaid and relaxed 2020 enrollment criteria experienced enrollment increases without spending risk changes. The findings are reassuring with respect to the ability of Marketplaces to buffer employment shocks, but they also provide cautionary signals that risks and premiums could begin to rise either in the absence of Medicaid expansion or when Marketplace enrollment is constrained.