Unbiased Analysis of Today's Healthcare Issues
The goal of LyfeBank is basically to serve as a 401(k) for health insurance. Employers can make contributions to the employees health insurance into a fund and workers can use this money to buy various health insurance products, reimburse themselves for co-payments or deductibles, or pay for medical costs directly. LyfeBank has two key innovations. The…
The U.S. medical system does a good job of vaccinating children. The CDC has a list of recommended vaccinations which most children receive during routine physician visits. As children grow into adolescents, however, they are less likely to visit their primary care provider regularly. As a handful of new vaccines are targeted at teens (e.g.,…
Does more spending improve outcomes? Unemployment. Your time in the womb affects your chances of graduating from college. Upcoding. Botox for migraines.
The Economist notes that counterfeit drugs are a growing problem. “Counterfeit drugs can kill. Many are shoddily made, containing the wrong dose of the active ingredient. Taking them instead of the real thing can turn a treatable disease into a fatal one. It can also foster drug resistance among germs.” Do patents cause and increase…
In 2008, Americans spend over $14 billion on proton pump inhibitors. These heartburn treatments such as Nexium, Prevacid, and Protonix may put millions of patients at risk. According to Scientific American, long-term use of these medicines has been linked to “withdrawal symptoms, an increased risk of bacterial infection, hip fracture and even possible nutritional deficiencies.” Additionally,…
Risk adjustment is important for many aspects of health care. Medicare uses risk adjustment to modify payments to Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans based on the health of the beneficiaries they cover. Private insurance companies can use risk adjustment to fine-tune capitation payments to physicians or determine a potential enrollee’s premium. Providers can use risk…
The 113rd edition of the Cavalcade of Risk is up at David Williams’ Health Business Blog.
Bribery=FFS? Retiree insurance program. Cost shifting. A real clunker. “Poverty is a business.” Unintended consequences of alcohol and cigarette taxes. 600.
Today I’ll be talking about healthcare in Australia. Australia a rich country with 21.2 million residents, has the sixth highest life expectancy of any country in the world. The review of the Australian healthcare system is based on the Australia’s Health 2008 report. Unless otherwise noted, all dollar figures reference are in Australian dollars ($1…
Sticky wages is the concept that few employees will agree to a nominal decrease in wages even if there is a decrease in productivity. However, the Kaiser Family Foundation found that although nominal wages may not be decreasing, the amount of money workers are paying for health insurance is rising quickly (full report). “Workers on…