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PubMed2005

[Comparison of insurance coverage of tobacco cessation pharmacotherapies in five countries from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development].

BACKGROUND: Reports in the literature demonstrate effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of tobacco treatments including drug and behavioral therapies. The health insurance coverage of smoking cessation treatments could lower financial barriers which limit the access to these services. The purpose of this paper was to compare health insurance coverage for pharmacotherapies for smoking cessation in five countries from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. METHODS: A literature review was performed using Medline, official websites and Google. A grid was used to analyse articles and reports in order to identify: the public or private coverage of smoking cessation pharmacotherapies; the population groups who were covered; the extent and content of the insurance coverage as well as the practical ways to obtain it and the training and certification of the health staff to prescribe these treatments. RESULTS: Australia, Quebec, the United States, New Zealand and the United Kingdom provide financial coverage for some of the drugs prescribed to stop smoking. The financial coverage depends on the organization of the health care system: universal coverage in Australia, Quebec, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom and private coverage in the United States except for the Medicaid public program. In the United States as well as in the United Kingdom the first population group to benefit from financial coverage of smoking cessation therapy were socially precarious persons. Prescription schemes are recommended in the present programs and persons who receive the treatment are generally requested to attend follow-up visits. All countries studied encourage training of health professionals in tobacco cessation, but except for Australia and New Zealand there is no mandatory registration of physicians who prescribe smoking cessation drugs. CONCLUSION: The financial coverage of smoking cessation pharmacotherapies is often the result of a political decision. Taking into consideration the situation of developed countries, France should first consider the financial coverage of smoking cessation pharmacotherapies for socially precarious persons and populations with tobacco-related diseases. In addition, a population-based study should be conducted in France to measure the efficacy of financial coverage on smoking cessation.

Australia↗
PubMed2000

Confirming insurance coverage in a telephone survey: evidence from the National Survey of America's families.

Until recently, most surveys of insurance coverage have classified people as uninsured if they have not been assigned some coverage in response to one of a series of questions about specific types of insurance. This "residual" approach to measuring uninsurance rates has not required respondents to either verify their insurance status or confirm that they are uninsured. Using the 1997 National Survey of America's Families, this paper examines the impact of a question confirming whether individuals for whom no insurance coverage is reported are, in fact, uninsured. The results of our analysis suggest that a confirmation question as part of a telephone-based survey works to lower estimates of the uninsured.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Adolescent health insurance coverage: recent changes and access to care.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the health insurance status of adolescents, the trends in adolescent health care coverage, the demographic and socioeconomic correlates of insurance coverage, and the role that insurance coverage plays in influencing access to and use of health care. Together, the results provide a current and comprehensive profile of adolescent health insurance coverage. METHODS: We analyzed data on 14 252 adolescents, ages 10 to 18 years, included in the 1995 National Health Interview Survey. The survey obtained information on insurance coverage and several measures of access and utilization, including usual source of care, site of the usual source of care, indications of missed or delayed care, and use of ambulatory physician services by adolescents. We conducted multivariate analyses to assess the independent association of age, sex, race, poverty status, family structure, family size, region of residence, metropolitan resident status, and health status on the likelihood of insurance coverage. We conducted bivariate and multivariate analyses to ascertain how insurance coverage was related to each of the access and utilization measures obtained in the survey. We also examined trends in health insurance coverage using the 1984, 1989, and 1995 editions of the National Health Interview Survey. RESULTS: An estimated 14.1% of adolescents were uninsured in 1995. Risk of being uninsured was higher for older adolescents, minorities, adolescents in low-income families, and adolescents in single parent households. Compared with their insured counterparts, uninsured adolescents were five times as likely to lack a usual source of care, four times as likely to have unmet health needs, and twice as likely to go without a physician contact during the course of a year. Between 1984 and 1995 the percentage of adolescents with some form of health insurance coverage remained essentially unchanged. During this period, the prevalence of private health insurance decreased, while the prevalence of public health insurance increased. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the critical importance of health insurance as a determinant of access to and use of health services among adolescents. It also shows that little progress has been made during the past 15 years in reducing the size of the uninsured adolescent population. The new State Children's Health Insurance Program could lead to substantial improvements in access to care for adolescents, but only if states implement effective outreach and enrollment strategies for uninsured adolescents.adolescents, health insurance, access, Medicaid, SCHIP.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Insurance coverage and care of patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes.

BACKGROUND: The impact of insurance coverage on the care of patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE ACS) is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To compare NSTE ACS care patterns by insurance type. DESIGN: Comparison of Medicaid patients younger than 65 years of age and Medicare patients 65 years of age or older with patients of similar age who have health maintenance organization (HMO) or private insurance coverage. SETTING: 521 U.S. hospitals participating in the CRUSADE (Can Rapid Risk Stratification of Unstable Angina Patients Suppress ADverse Outcomes with Early Implementation of the ACC [American College of Cardiology]/AHA [American Heart Association] Guidelines) quality improvement initiative from January 2001 through March 2005. PATIENTS: 37,345 NSTE ACS patients younger than 65 years of age and 59,550 patients 65 years of age or older. MEASUREMENTS: Guideline-recommended treatments, and in-hospital outcomes. RESULTS: Medicaid was the primary payer for 18.7% (6999 of 37,345) of patients younger than age 65 years, whereas Medicare was the primary payer for 67.5% (40,199 of 59,550) of patients age 65 years or older. Medicaid patients were statistically significantly less likely to receive short-term (less than 24 hours) medications and to undergo invasive cardiac procedures than patients covered by HMO and private insurance. They also had higher mortality rates (2.9% vs. 1.2%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.63). Medications and invasive procedures were used to a similar extent in patients with Medicare and HMO or private insurance, and respective mortality rates were not significantly different (6.2% vs. 5.6%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.99 to 1.18). LIMITATIONS: Self-pay patients and patients without insurance were not assessed. CONCLUSIONS: NSTE ACS patients with Medicaid (but not Medicare) as the primary payer were less likely to receive evidence-based therapies and had worse outcomes than patients with HMO or private insurance as the primary payer. The causes of these treatment differences and solutions for narrowing the gaps in quality require further investigation.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Health insurance coverage and physician use among children with disabilities: findings from probability samples in five metropolitan areas.

The effect of insurance coverage on physician use for children in the United States who have been identified as disabled by their schools under the provisions of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (PL 94-142) is examined. The research is based on identically drawn stratified random samples of children from the elementary school special education populations of five large metropolitan school systems. It was found that health insurance coverage was a predictor of whether a disabled child had seen a doctor in the past year even after adjustment for site, family background characteristics, type and severity of childhood disability, and structural access factors (adjusted odds ratio, 1.76, P less than .05); Hispanic children with disabilities were more likely than white children to be without any health insurance (adjusted odds ratio, 3.63; P less than .001), but there was no similar statistically significant difference between blacks and whites; and wide variations persist in scope of insurance payment for care, such that parents of publicly insured children paid out of pocket for only 5% of all physician visits as compared to 30% of visits for the privately insured. Even for children with various low-prevalence disabilities, when privately insured, parents paid out of pocket for 23% of all physician visits. These data help clarify the extent of health insurance coverage among children with disabilities and indicate that insurance remains an important predictor of physician use even though it continues to pay for only certain elements of care.

Child↗
PubMed1989

[New trends in home oxygen therapy (HOT) after the introduction of health insurance coverage in Okinawa and factors contributing to long-term survival].

A total of 179 cases given HOT after introduction of health insurance coverage in 1985 were reported from 12 medical institutes in Okinawa and were compared with 110 cases followed at Okinawa Chubu Hospital during 1976-1985, prior to insurance coverage. The number of patients on HOT have rapidly increased after insurance coverage not only in our institute but also in other institutes in Okinawa and the patients with emphysema formed the largest group. The oxygen enricher is now utilized more than the compressed gas system, accounting for about 70% of all patients compared with the previous figure of 7.3%. Average PaO2 on room air was higher (from 42 Torr to 49 Torr) and the levels of PaO2 maintained by HOT had 2 peaks, one in the 60-65 Torr range and the other in the 75-80 Torr range in patients newly given HOT. The patients with emphysema, who had the worst prognosis in the past, remarkably improved and showed no statistical difference from patients with chronic bronchitis or bronchiectasis in terms of long-term survival. The female patients had better prognosis than males, but the reason is still unclear to us. The absolute volume of FEV1.0 and the presence or absence of cor pulmonale have not affected the long-term survival. A group of the patients with CO2 retention (bronchitic in type) did not benefit from HOT in terms of long-term survival unless their PaO2 levels on room air were below 50 Torr and it was felt that PaO2 levels of 50-59 were too mild in severity for application of HOT.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Holding back the tide: policies to preserve and reconstruct health insurance coverage in Maryland.

Over the past decade, state officials have pursued a variety of strategies to protect and expand health insurance coverage for their residents. This article examines the course of action in Maryland, where new initiatives were shaped around the state's unique hospital payment system and its reimbursement of uncompensated care, an evolving Medicaid and children's health program, and regulation of the small group health insurance market. Several important patterns emerge from the Maryland experience. First, even the most incremental initiatives--programs intended to aid a few thousand beneficiaries--bring into play the very issues that hamper comprehensive reforms: who is deserving of mutual aid and what is the proper role of government versus private entities in administering that aid. In Maryland, these issues generate conflict not only between Democrats and Republicans but also urban and rural interests. Second, all of the important reforms of the past decade were undertaken primarily in reaction to federal policy initiatives. Contrary to rhetoric lauding states as the "laboratories of democracy," the political impetus for reform and basic policy options emerge from interaction between federal and state debates. Third, even with budget surpluses and Democrats in control of the governorship and legislature, Maryland did not move aggressively toward universal health insurance. Now, with a much weaker economy and a new, Republican governor, the primary challenge will be to prevent further erosion of insurance coverage. The Maryland experience reiterates that each step toward greater health security, no matter how small, is a major technical and political challenge and that it will be difficult if not impossible to rely on states to secure coverage for all Americans in the foreseeable future.

Child↗
PubMed2005

Disparities in access to infertility services in a state with mandated insurance coverage.

The objective of our study was to examine the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of patients accessing infertility services in a state (Massachusetts) with mandated and comprehensive insurance coverage for such services. Even in a state with such insurance coverage, disparities in access to infertility services exist, with the majority of individuals accessing those services being Caucasian, highly educated, and wealthy.

Chi-Square Distribution↗
PubMed2002

Millions of mothers lack health insurance coverage in the United States. Most uninsured mothers lack access both to employer-based coverage and to publicly subsidized health insurance.

Some 5.9 million American mothers caring for young or school-aged children lack health insurance. Although nearly nine in ten uninsured mothers are members of working families, most lack access to affordable coverage through their job or a spouse's job. Most are ineligible for publicly subsidized coverage unless their incomes are far below the poverty line. The millions of uninsured mothers are at high risk of going without needed preventive and primary care. If they become seriously ill, their families can face the prospect of a financial crisis. The nation has made significant progress in extending health care coverage to children in low-income families through Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), but no comparable effort has been made to insure the mothers of these children. A few states have started to address the problem by transforming their SCHIPs into family-based programs that also cover low-income parents. Bipartisan legislation under consideration, known as FamilyCare, would encourage this trend by providing more federal funding to states that could be used to extend health insurance to the parents of children already covered by publicly funded programs.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Insurance coverage and health care use among near-elderly women.

OBJECTIVES: Data on near-elderly (ages 55-64) women's access to and use of health care have been limited. In this study, we sought to examine the status of near-elderly women's health insurance coverage in the United States and how it may influence their use of health care services. METHODS: A nationwide random sample of women aged 55-64 was drawn from the 2002 wave of the Health and Retirement Study. Descriptive statistics were calculated and multivariable regression analyses were performed to quantify the impact of insurance coverage on near-elderly women's use of outpatient services, inpatient services, and prescription medication over a 2-year period. RESULTS: In 2002, 9.4% of near-elderly women in the United States were uninsured and 15.4% had public coverage. Those who had coverage for a particular service were significantly more likely to use that service compared to women without coverage, with odds ratios ranging from 2.0-6.7 for services such as a physician visit, hospital stay, dental visit, and use of prescription medication. Among those who had at least one physician visit, near-elderly women who had some of the cost covered by insurance reported significantly more visits than women without coverage. Likewise, for near-elderly women regularly taking prescription medications, having more extensive coverage significantly increased their likelihood of medication adherence. The frequency of hospitalization was also higher for women who had complete coverage for the cost. CONCLUSIONS: The nature of a near-elderly woman's insurance coverage significantly affects her use of health care services. More attention is needed to improve the health care of near-elderly women with inadequate insurance coverage.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed2006

Self-medication and health insurance coverage in Mexico.

Self-medication is a common practice in many developing countries but little is known about its determinants. This study analyzes the factors that are associated with the use of self-medication in Mexico using the Mexican Health and Aging Study, a new nationally representative survey on adults aged 50 and over. We find that self-medication is related to socioeconomic status and the lack of access to professional healthcare. Our empirical results suggest that lack of government-sponsored health insurance coverage increases the propensity to self-medicate. A 10% increase in the proportion of adults with health insurance coverage could decrease the use of pharmacy consultations by .8% for public sector workers and by 1.7% for private sector workers. Increasing health insurance coverage could reduce the demand for self-medication by making healthcare more affordable and by changing the population perceptions about the benefits of modern medicine.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Socioeconomic differences in health: how much do health behaviors and health insurance coverage account for?

As evidence accumulates that both unhealthy behaviors and inadequate access to health care are responsible in part for poor health, there is a tendency to attribute the differences in health status between the poor and the affluent to the higher prevalence of unhealthy behaviors and inadequate access to health care among people of low socioeconomic status (SES). The purpose of this study is to determine quantitatively how much health behaviors and health insurance coverage account for the SES disparity in health. The study employed secondary analysis of data collected through the Kentucky Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System for 2000. After adjusting for health behaviors and health insurance coverage, the differences in health among different levels of SES (measured by education and income) remained strong and significant. Health behaviors and health insurance coverage accounted for 10-16% of the socioeconomic differences in health.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

The effect of employment status on private health insurance coverage: 1977 and 1987.

Analyzing cross-sectional data from the National Medical Expenditure Survey (NMES), we find that the predicted probability of private insurance coverage for low-income individuals as a group fell dramatically from 1977 to 1987. The results of a decompositional technique show that the relationship between full-time employment and private insurance has weakened over the period for low-income females, but has strengthened for males in this group. While it appears that low-income females benefit from part-time employment relative to their unemployed cohorts, no discernible difference is found in the likelihood of being covered by private insurance for part-time and unemployed males. Finally, evidence suggesting a weakening over time in the relationship between part-time employment and private insurance coverage is found among middle-income females and high-income males. From a policy perspective, passage of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 has taken an important first step in attempting to lower the number of uninsured, especially among full-time workers. Our findings, however, suggest that this legislation may be too limited in scope to effectively reach part-time workers presently uninsured.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Expanding health insurance coverage and the implications for dentistry.

Numerous proposals have been suggested for expanding health insurance coverage to the over 30 million Americans without health insurance. These proposals range from establishing a program of national health insurance modeled after the Canadian system to establishing statewide risk pools. Many of these proposals could have an impact on financial access to dental care for the approximately 120 million people without dental insurance. Dental insurance coverage has been shown to increase access to dental services and improve oral health status. Oral health professionals could facilitate discussions concerning health insurance expansion by informing policymakers about important preventive benefits to be gained by improving access to dental services. Dental public health professionals can serve as a bridge between organized dentistry and health policymakers by providing information to help formulate the priorities and characteristics of a dental health insurance program. This visibility and influence in the health policy arena would be beneficial to dentistry and could ultimately result in greater access to dental services and improved oral health for the uninsured.

Dental Health Services↗
PubMed1984

Knowledge of their health insurance coverage by the elderly.

Current legislative proposals to increase competition among private insurers assume that people are or can be well-informed about their insurance coverage. Evidence from the National Medical Care Expenditure Survey shows that among the population 65 years of age and older knowledge about health insurance coverage is substantial but generally lower than in the population younger than 65 years of age. Multivariate analysis is used to identify factors associated with high and low levels of knowledge. Although correct knowledge of coverage of particular services is highly associated with current experience of health problems, with use of these health services, and with the cost for private insurance, overall knowledge is lowest among some groups at high risk of serious illness, in particular, the old, nonwhites, and persons enrolled in Medicare but without Medicaid or private insurance supplements.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

The impact of insurance coverage on children's dental visits and expenditures, 1996.

BACKGROUND: Health insurance coverage has been shown to relate positively with the use of dental services. The purpose of the authors' study was to describe the level of dental coverage among U.S. children and to assess the impact of dental coverage on children's use of dental services and expenditures for dental care. METHODS: The focus of these analyses is on dental care coverage, use and expenditures for U.S. children during 1996. National estimates are provided for the population with dental coverage, the population with a dental visit, and mean total expenditure for each of several socioeconomic and demographic categories during 1996 using data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. RESULTS: Fifty-two percent of children younger than 18 years of age had private dental coverage during 1996. Approximately 56 percent of children in families with a poverty status level of 133 percent of the federal poverty level or below were covered by Medicaid during 1996. Fifty-six percent of children with private coverage had made at least one dental visit, compared with 28 percent of noncovered children. Twenty-eight percent of children covered by Medicaid had made at least one dental visit compared with 19 percent of noncovered children. CONCLUSION: Medicaid dental coverage seems to have had a lesser effect on the likelihood of a child's having a dental visit than had private coverage. Improving oral health for poorer children may depend partly on improving the design of Medicaid dental coverage programs. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: By understanding these analyses, practitioners, advocates and policymakers will be better positioned to provide care, improve access and better meet the needs of all American children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

The extent of private and public health insurance coverage among adult Hispanics.

Data from the Health and Retirement Survey reveal extremely low levels of health insurance coverage among Hispanics and, especially, among Mexican Americans. The data reveal that this lack of insurance is associated with lower rates of employer-based and privately purchased coverage. Even after controlling for a large number of insurance-related factors, Hispanics have rates of health insurance coverage that are lower than those of either non-Hispanic blacks or whites. This serious lack of health insurance coverage among preretirement-age Hispanics has serious implications both for health, because the lack of insurance represents a major barrier to health care, and for the adequacy of retirement coverage, because private insurance represents an important supplement to Medicare.

Adult↗