It appears that among women, the less education you have the more likely you are not to have health insurance. That is the finding of a policy brief that emerged from a study conducted at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Center for Health Policy Research that evaluated women’s health insurance.
Researchers used data from the 2007 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) as the basis for their evaluation. Their analysis revealed that during 2007, nearly 2.5 million women in California between the ages of 18 and 64 had no health insurance. Overall, women who did not have a high school diploma were nearly four times more likely to be uninsured as women who had a college degree. That is, 42 percent of women without a college degree had no insurance compared with 11 percent of those with a degree.
Women who were most likely to be uninsured were Latinas (35 percent) and American Indian/Alaska Natives (26 percent), single without children (28 percent), single mothers (27 percent), and those with a very low income (42 percent).
Women who had a college education were also more likely to have their health insurance through their employer: 75 percent had such coverage, compared with 49 percent of women with a high school diploma and 23 percent who did not graduate from high school.
In another, earlier study conducted by the Urban Institute and Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, researchers analyzed women’s (ages 18 to 64) health insurance coverage by state for the entire nation. They found that overall, 62.6 percent had coverage through an employer, 5.9 percent got coverage through an individual plan, 10.2 percent were on Medicaid, 3.2 percent were getting other public assistance, and 18.1 percent had no health insurance. Massachusetts had the lowest rate of uninsured women—5.6 percent—while Texas had the highest at 29.2 percent. The study did not look at education.
In the UCLA study, Roberta Wyn, lead author of the brief and a women’s health expert, noted that “health insurance coverage and education are clearly linked.” She also pointed out that since the 2007 CHIS was conducted, the decline in the economy likely made their numbers worse. The fact that with the health reform passage, young women will be able to get coverage on their parents’ health insurance plan until they are 26 will help some women, although it remains to be seen how many will be able to take advantage of this option.
суббота, 18 декабря 2010 г.
вторник, 14 декабря 2010 г.
Health care in an Obama world: what we know so far
We know the name of the 44th President of the United States: Barack Obama. As the next President's supporter Oprah Winfrey is known to ask, "What do you know for sure?" When it comes to health care and health insurance coverage, there are a few things we know about a President Obama.
First and foremost, addressing challenges in U.S. health care will require a multi-pronged strategy which brings stakeholders together. The key health-aches to address will be:
Some of the names mentioned to head up health cabinet and key office posts are very sound. To head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Peter Orszag of the Congressional Budget Office has been talking passionately about health care and the Medicare Trust Fund for several years. Read his approach to health care costs here in Health Populi as the CBO dissected health care costs.
In addition, the Obama team has worked with David Cutler of Harvard, a health economist who writes papers with Dr. Mark McClellan, and author of the 2003 seminal paper, "Why Have Americans Become More Obese?" which tied together health with the food industry, calorie consumption, and time required to prepare meals; and, Dan Mendelson of Avalere Health, a well-respected beltway consulting firm deep into health care.
There are several interesting contenders to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, including Howard Dean, the head of the Democratic National Committee, former governor of Vermont, and a physician; Tom Daschle, the former Senate Majority leader wrote Critical: What We Can Do About the Health Care Crisis, and a supporter of universal health plans; Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who has actively reformed insurance in her state; and, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, who understands the life science industry and universal health coverage.
Health and safety are key issues for the next President to address, and the FDA needs to get smarter about its role in ensuring safe Food and Drugs. Some of the names mentioned for FDA Commissioner are more controversial than those rumored for the other senior health posts. One is Steve Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic, who has been involved with clinical trials and very visible recently with drug safety and recalls and one of TIME Magazine's most influential people in 2007.
In addition, several advisers to Obama on FDA issues have been Harvard professor David Blumenthal who has helped shape Obama's health plans and is part of the Kennedy health camp; Robert Califf of Duke Medicine, who has worked on FDA reorganization plans; Dora Hughes, an MD/MPH and advisor to both Kennedy and Obama on health issues; Bruce Psaty of the University of Washington, who is health safety guru; and, Susan Wood from George Washington University, who left the FDA when the Agency failed to move the morning-after pill to over-the-counter status and now researches environmental and occupational health.
Jane's Hot Points: While the economy may preclude accomplishing major reforms for the first two years of an Obama presidency, some major issues can be tackled and planned-for. We've missed sound longer-term planning in these agencies, and in the larger health reform discussion. In particular, wrestling with Medicare's financial sustainability will be crucial as we lurch toward the expected implosion of the Medicare Trust Fund in 2017. Peter Orszag's visibility in health cost speech-making have placed him in a central expert role for dealing with this.
The health economists have a big role to play in sorting out how to pay for performance and migrate the U.S. toward evidence-based medicine and payment. Getting primary care into its rightful place at the nexus of the citizen and the health system will be part of a larger move toward managing costs and optimizing health outcomes.
In this statement in the October 9, 2008, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Modern Health Care for All Americans, Obama sets out his health priorities. He says:
First and foremost, addressing challenges in U.S. health care will require a multi-pronged strategy which brings stakeholders together. The key health-aches to address will be:
- Covering the uninsured
- Stemming rising health care costs
- Wiring the health information infrastructure and getting electronic health records into medical practice
- Funding what works, and de-funding what doesn't
- Ensuring an innovative health discovery and commercialization environment.
Some of the names mentioned to head up health cabinet and key office posts are very sound. To head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Peter Orszag of the Congressional Budget Office has been talking passionately about health care and the Medicare Trust Fund for several years. Read his approach to health care costs here in Health Populi as the CBO dissected health care costs.
In addition, the Obama team has worked with David Cutler of Harvard, a health economist who writes papers with Dr. Mark McClellan, and author of the 2003 seminal paper, "Why Have Americans Become More Obese?" which tied together health with the food industry, calorie consumption, and time required to prepare meals; and, Dan Mendelson of Avalere Health, a well-respected beltway consulting firm deep into health care.
There are several interesting contenders to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, including Howard Dean, the head of the Democratic National Committee, former governor of Vermont, and a physician; Tom Daschle, the former Senate Majority leader wrote Critical: What We Can Do About the Health Care Crisis, and a supporter of universal health plans; Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who has actively reformed insurance in her state; and, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, who understands the life science industry and universal health coverage.
Health and safety are key issues for the next President to address, and the FDA needs to get smarter about its role in ensuring safe Food and Drugs. Some of the names mentioned for FDA Commissioner are more controversial than those rumored for the other senior health posts. One is Steve Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic, who has been involved with clinical trials and very visible recently with drug safety and recalls and one of TIME Magazine's most influential people in 2007.
In addition, several advisers to Obama on FDA issues have been Harvard professor David Blumenthal who has helped shape Obama's health plans and is part of the Kennedy health camp; Robert Califf of Duke Medicine, who has worked on FDA reorganization plans; Dora Hughes, an MD/MPH and advisor to both Kennedy and Obama on health issues; Bruce Psaty of the University of Washington, who is health safety guru; and, Susan Wood from George Washington University, who left the FDA when the Agency failed to move the morning-after pill to over-the-counter status and now researches environmental and occupational health.
Jane's Hot Points: While the economy may preclude accomplishing major reforms for the first two years of an Obama presidency, some major issues can be tackled and planned-for. We've missed sound longer-term planning in these agencies, and in the larger health reform discussion. In particular, wrestling with Medicare's financial sustainability will be crucial as we lurch toward the expected implosion of the Medicare Trust Fund in 2017. Peter Orszag's visibility in health cost speech-making have placed him in a central expert role for dealing with this.
The health economists have a big role to play in sorting out how to pay for performance and migrate the U.S. toward evidence-based medicine and payment. Getting primary care into its rightful place at the nexus of the citizen and the health system will be part of a larger move toward managing costs and optimizing health outcomes.
In this statement in the October 9, 2008, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Modern Health Care for All Americans, Obama sets out his health priorities. He says:
"My health care plan has three central tenets. First, all Americans should have access to the benefits of modern medicine. Once and for all, we must ensure that this great country lives up to its ideals and ensures all Americans access to high-quality, affordable health care. Second, we must eliminate the waste that plagues our medical system — layers of bureaucracy that serve no purpose, duplicative tests and procedures that are performed because the right information is not readily available, and doctors providing unnecessary care for fear of being sued. Third, we need a public health infrastructure that works with our medical system to prevent disease and improve health."
среда, 8 декабря 2010 г.
Proposal Includes Health Insurance Mandate For Ohio State Residents
The Ohio State Medical Association on Thursday released a proposal that would require all state residents to purchase health insurance, either with individual funds or government subsidies, the Dayton Daily News reports.
The proposal also calls for the state to focus on wellness and prevention, rather than treating illnesses, and to improve the quality and transparency of care so that patients can have access to reliable quality and cost information. In addition, the proposal calls for the state to create a self-sustaining health care financing system with a dedicated source of funding, so that health care would not compete with other state programs.
The goal of the proposal is to improve the state's health care system. Association President Craig Anderson said,"I think we're at a critical point at the state and national level,"adding, "We think it's time to take action" (Hershey, Dayton Daily News, 9/21).
The proposal also calls for the state to focus on wellness and prevention, rather than treating illnesses, and to improve the quality and transparency of care so that patients can have access to reliable quality and cost information. In addition, the proposal calls for the state to create a self-sustaining health care financing system with a dedicated source of funding, so that health care would not compete with other state programs.
The goal of the proposal is to improve the state's health care system. Association President Craig Anderson said,"I think we're at a critical point at the state and national level,"adding, "We think it's time to take action" (Hershey, Dayton Daily News, 9/21).
Подписаться на:
Сообщения (Atom)