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China in transition: the new health insurance scheme for the urban employed.

China has been very successful in achieving good health at a low cost, mostly through national programs for health promotion and illness prevention. However, increased prosperity in recent years has led to higher expectations for therapeutic care, and the change to a socialist market economy has created new risks and opportunities for both financing and care provision. After several years of experimentation, China committed itself in 1996 to a major reform program which includes implementation of a new method of financing of care for the urban employed population. It comprises a mix of government-operated compulsory basic insurance, individual health savings accounts, and optional private health insurance. This paper outlines the new Scheme, and notes some tactical and strategic issues. I conclude that the Chinese government is correctly choosing to balance new and old ideas, but that there are many challenges to be faced including integration of the new Scheme with the rest of the health care system.

China↗

Health policy in transition: terminal care and site of death in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: In Japan, hospitals have replaced homes as the predominant site of death, especially for the elderly. Site of death is a reliable indicator of where older people receive care before they die. We conducted a population-based study to identify the factors that determine site of death in a typical rural area in Japan. METHODS: Study subjects were residents of Kawakami town, aged 70 years or older, who died during 1981 and 1990. Death certificates provided information on age, gender, cause of death, duration of illness before death, family members, family occupation, and site of death. RESULTS: Among 455 subjects, 52.7% died at home, while 47.3% died in hospital. Multiple logistic regression analyses indicated that subjects with cancer were 6.1 times more likely to die in hospitals than those with other diseases. Subjects who died in their seventies were 2.3 times more likely to die in hospital than older subjects. Members of non-farming families were 1.7 times more likely to die in hospital than members of farming families. Gender, duration of illness, and the presence of spouse or children in the household were not significantly related to site of death according to multivariate analyses, although trends did exist. CONCLUSION: This case study illustrates the importance of developing geriatric care systems in Japan, utilizing alternatives to hospitals, such as nursing homes and formal home care. This is particularly true for patients with cancer. As the older population rapidly increases in Japan, the need for alternatives in geriatric care grows more critical.

Aged↗

Non-human primates used in studies of periodontal disease pathogenesis: a review of the literature.

The inability to examine initiation and progression of periodontal disease and to assess certain therapies in humans has led to a great interest in the use of animal models in periodontal research. Some of the most prominent animals used are non-human primates. This article reviews the characteristics of non-human primate models in periodontal health, in the transition from health to gingivitis to periodontitis, and in experimental gingivitis and periodontitis. Where possible, the results of these studies are compared with results from human studies. Only a few studies have compared in detail the anatomy, physiology, immunology, and tissue interactions in monkeys with those of humans. With the exceptions of differences and variations in size of the dentition, the number of each tooth type as well as larger canines, presence of diastemata between anterior teeth, and an edge-to-edge relationship of the incisors, the dental and periodontal anatomy of non-human primates seem quite similar to that of humans. Clinically healthy gingiva can be established and maintained in non-human primates, and gingivitis as well as periodontitis occur in these animals. It is possible to induce experimental periodontitis by placement of peri-dental silk ligatures or orthodontic elastics as well as by surgical removal of alveolar bone. Although the most appropriate model for studies of periodontal disease pathogenesis in non-human primates appears to involve the application of silk ligatures, some difficulties may occur in establishing periodontal break-down by using this model. Many clinical, histological, microbiological, and immunological characteristics of spontaneous and experimental marginal inflammation in most non-human primates are similar to those in humans. The most significant differences between small non-human primates and humans are the very limited number of lymphocytes and plasma cells in the inflammatory infiltrate of squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) and marmosets. Therefore, the use of squirrel monkeys and marmosets may not be appropriate in many studies of periodontal disease pathogenesis. The most significant microbial differences between macaque species and humans are a lower proportion of Actinomyces species, the presence of a catalase-producing Prevotella melaninogenica strain, and the high carrier rate for Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans in subgingival plaque of macaque species. The significance of these differences is presently unknown. It is concluded that the use of many non-human primate species due to the apparent close anatomic and biologic similarities to humans is appropriate in experimental studies of periodontal disease, provided the use of laboratory animals is requisite and lower species are not applicable.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗

Transitional subsidies for health insurance coverage.

Losing or leaving a job often means losing health insurance. Of all those who have lost private insurance and become uninsured, one-third have either left or lost a job in the recent past. Continuation of coverage subsidies under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) of 1985 mitigate only slightly this problem due to the high costs of the group coverage that must be purchased. This paper discusses a proposal to build on the successes of COBRA to extend insurance to this important population. The key components are: a doubling of the length of COBRA entitlement to 36 months; eligibility for workers in all firms, not just those with more than 20 employees, but with a waiting period of one to two years; the establishment of a new COBRA-LOAN program that would offer government loans to help enrollees pay the cost of COBRA while they searched for new opportunities; and forgiveness of repayments after the entitlement period for those with low incomes.

Adult↗