Health insurance

Rishi Sunak wants to cut the cost of ‘sicknote’ Britain. But we’ve found a strong economic case for benefits

Retrieved on:

星期四, 四月 25, 2024

Health, Employment, COVID, Environment, Respite care, Pension, Education, Social Security, Common, Mental health, Research, NHS, Social, Housing, Workforce, Government, Health insurance

He instead wants to focus on “what people can do with the right support in place, rather than what they can’t do”.

Key Points:

He instead wants to focus on “what people can do with the right support in place, rather than what they can’t do”.
Taxpayers and recipients of sickness and disability benefits might feel like they’ve heard all this before.
It is this trend that Rishi Sunak claims needs to be addressed, with mental health conditions a growing component of new disability benefit claims.
Rather, we can point to a real economic case for government investment in infrastructure and day-to-day spending to keep people well and – where possible – working.

Changing attitudes

The effect of this is that the old “strivers versus scroungers” argument simply doesn’t appeal as it once did.
In the latest British Social Attitudes Survey, just 19% agreed that “most people who get social security don’t really deserve any help” – less than half the figure of 40% in 2005.
We must create a system that enables people to build a productive life in their best health, wellbeing and economic interests.

Investing in people is good

Rather, there is good evidence for implementing less conditional systems of welfare, which have no work disincentives, for economic, health, and wellbeing reasons.
Something like basic income (a system of regular, fixed payments made to everyone in society) can provide the economic and financial stability to allow people to find sustainable employment.
That might be the case had government funding for these services not failed to keep up with demand.
We need to act now to create a better system – because the current one is benefiting very few of us.

Elliott Johnson is affiliated with the Common Sense Policy Group. Howard Reed is affiliated with the Common Sense Policy Group. Matthew T. Johnson is affiliated with the Common Sense Policy Group

Caring for older Americans’ teeth and gums is essential, but Medicare generally doesn’t cover that cost

Retrieved on:

星期五, 四月 19, 2024

As dentistry scholars, we believe Koop also deserves credit for something else.

Key Points:

As dentistry scholars, we believe Koop also deserves credit for something else.
Americans who rely on the traditional Medicare program for their health insurance get no help from that program with paying their dental bills aside from some narrow exceptions.
This group includes some 24 million people over 65 – about half of all the people who rely on Medicare for their health insurance.

‘Medically necessary’ exceptions

The list of circumstances that would lead patients to be eligible is short.
Some examples include patients scheduled for organ transplants or who have cancer treatment requiring radiation of their jaws.
But we believe that dental care is necessary for everyone, especially for older people.

Chew, speak, breathe

While many working Americans get limited dental coverage through their employers, those benefits are usually limited to as little as $1,000 per year.
And once they retire, Americans almost always lose even that basic coverage.
Rich Americans with Medicare coverage are almost three times more likely to receive dental care compared to those with low incomes.

Connected to many serious conditions

Having diabetes makes you three times as likely to develop gum disease because diabetes compromises the body’s response to inflammation and infection.
At the same time, treating diabetes patients for gum disease can help control their blood sugar levels.

Chemo can damage your teeth

Many cancer treatments can damage teeth, especially for older adults. As a result, Medicare has started to reimburse for dental bills tied to tooth decay or other oral conditions after they get chemotherapy or radiation treatment.

More than nice to have

Doctors and dentists are educated separately, and doctors learn very little about dental conditions and treatments when they’re in medical school.
Most dental electronic health records aren’t linked to medical systems, hindering comprehensive care and delivery of dental care to those in need.
Medical insurance was designed specifically to cover large, unpredictable expenses, while dental insurance was intended to mainly fund predictable and lower-cost preventive care.

Medicare Advantage plans

Until Medicare expands coverage to include preventive dental services for everyone, alternative plans such as Medicare Advantage, through which the federal government contracts with private insurers to provide Medicare benefits, serve as a stopgap.
In 2016, only 21% of beneficiaries in traditional Medicare had purchased a stand-alone dental plan, whereas roughly two-thirds of Medicare Advantage enrollees had at least some dental benefits through their coverage.

Frank Scannapieco is affiliated with The Task Force on Design and Analysis in Oral Health Research, and consults for the Colgate-Palmolive Company. Ira Lamster is a member of the Santa Fe Group. He currently receives consulting fees from Colgate, and research support from the CareQuest Institute.

Sky-high waiting times don’t make people trust the NHS any less – why that’s potentially bad news for Rishi Sunak

Retrieved on:

星期四, 四月 18, 2024

Culture, Democracy, NHS, Walking, Trust, COVID-19, National Health Service, Research, History, Life, Conservatism, Survation, Labour, Government, Police, Health insurance

Waiting times in accident and emergency and referral times for specialist treatment remain staggeringly high.

Key Points:

Waiting times in accident and emergency and referral times for specialist treatment remain staggeringly high.
As researchers on trust, this led us to a question: do high waiting times mean people trust the NHS less?
Trust is hugely important to society, as it tells us so much about people’s faith in the integrity of institutions.
On a seven-point scale, trust in the NHS was a full two points higher than trust in parliament.

Why don’t Australians talk about their salaries? Pay transparency and fairness go hand-in-hand

Retrieved on:

星期四, 四月 18, 2024

Telstra, Pay scale, Job satisfaction, Buffer, BHP, Social media, Female, Woman, City, QANTAS, Male, Workplace, Workforce, Permanent Damage, Government, European, Health insurance

Yet, it’s easy to see how pay transparency can make pay systems fairer and more effective.

Key Points:

Yet, it’s easy to see how pay transparency can make pay systems fairer and more effective.
When pay is weakly aligned with employee contributions, pay transparency can be embarrassing for firms.

The salary taboo

Buffer lists the salary of every company employee, in descending order, on its website.
Does Buffer’s pay system make you cheer – “yay, no uncomfortable salary negotiations!”, or squirm – “what, my salary is on the website?” Most probably, both.
There is a persistent social norm researchers call the salary taboo.

The problem with not knowing

Historically, companies have given employees only minimal information about their pay systems, and some have even prohibited them from sharing their own pay information.
The more managers become convinced that pay decisions accurately reflect employee contributions, the less diligent they become about monitoring their own personal biases.

Second, in the absence of comparative information, employees often suspect they are being underpaid – even if they aren’t.
In a survey of over 380,000 employees by data firm Payscale, 57% of employees paid at the market rate and 42% of people paid above the market rate all believed they were being underpaid.

Pay transparency is trending

Broadly speaking, pay transparency policies see companies report their pay levels or ranges, explain their pay-setting processes, or encourage their employees to share pay information.
Read more:
Pay secrecy clauses are now banned in Australia; here's how that could benefit you
The European Union’s Pay Transparency Directive already publishes gender pay gaps and requires employers to provide comparative pay data to employees upon request.

Pay transparency usually has positive effects

People also generally underestimate their bosses’ salaries, so pay transparency can inspire employees to aspire to higher-paid senior positions.
And pay transparency identifies staff with unique expertise, so employees seek help from the right coworkers.

Pay transparency has also been shown to help narrow gender pay gaps. As pay transparency rules spread across public academic institutions in the US, the pay gap between male and female academics dramatically narrowed (in some states, it was even eliminated). In Denmark, where firms are now required to provide pay statistics that compare men and women, the national gender pay gap has declined by 13% relative to the pre-legislation average.

But it can still be risky

Pay transparency exposes these exceptions, so they can be immediately explained or corrected.
Over the long run, pay transparency leads to flatter and narrower pay distributions, but distributions can also be too flat and too narrow.

Proceed with caution

As stakeholders on this issue demand more transparency, employers would be wise to stay ahead of legislative moves.
Independently making the first move is a show of good faith and can unfold in stages.

Carol T Kulik does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Why the government’s haste in changing the health system could come back to haunt it

Retrieved on:

星期四, 四月 18, 2024

District health board, PR, University, Aggression, Partnership, Patient, Hospital, Policy, Death, Seed, Health policy, Breast cancer, Workforce, Ministry, Nursing, Government, Legislation, Violence, Health insurance

However, in the health sector this need for speed entails policy risks that could come back to bite the government before the next election.

Key Points:

However, in the health sector this need for speed entails policy risks that could come back to bite the government before the next election.
The biggest such risk comes from the disestablishment of the Māori Health Authority-Te Aka Whai Ora.

More health sector confusion

While the parts of the act referring to the Māori Health Authority have been excised, the act retains its primary focus on reducing health inequities.
To date, health minister Shane Reti has avoided using the words “equity” or “inequities”, instead preferring a generic focus on improving health outcomes, including for Māori.
But the planning and decision making mandated under the legislation still require government health agencies to address health inequities.
Despite having misgivings about the re-centralisation of the health system, the government has not reversed the merging of 20 District Health Boards into Health New Zealand.

Health targets rebooted

Other changes resemble initiatives introduced during the last National-led government in 2009, including specific health targets.
The health targets involve specified performance levels, such as ensuring that 95% of patients visiting emergency departments are seen within six hours.

Health New Zealand bears either the cost of continuing to fund security guards or the reputational risk of their reduced presence.
The government may have already dented minister Reti’s chances of building positive relationships with health sector leaders and interest groups.
The Māori Health Authority had widespread support from health sector groups.
While governments often draw criticism from the health sector, few have done so quite this rapidly.

Tim Tenbensel receives funding from the Health Research Council. He is affiliated with Health Coalition Aotearoa.

NeurAxis Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2023 Financial Results

Retrieved on:

星期二, 四月 9, 2024

Neuraxis, BCBS, Abdominal pain, Patient, API, Health insurance

Gross profit margin in the fourth quarter of 2023 was 86.4%, compared to 87.7% for the same period in 2022.

Key Points:

Gross profit margin in the fourth quarter of 2023 was 86.4%, compared to 87.7% for the same period in 2022.
Selling expenses for fiscal year 2023 were $323.6 thousand, a decrease of 21.3% compared to $410.9 thousand for fiscal year 2022.
Selling expenses for the fourth quarter of 2023 were $72.6 thousand, an increase of 10.1% compared to $66.0 thousand for the fourth quarter of 2022.
G&A costs for the fourth quarter of 2023 were $2.0 million, an increase of 46.1%, compared to $1.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2022.

Scilex Holding Company Announces Launching of Co-Pay Programs for Both ZTlido® and ELYXYB® for Commercially Insured Patients and the addition of ELYXYB® to a Multi-State Medicaid Pharmaceutical Purchasing Group to Its Purchasing Pool

Retrieved on:

星期二, 四月 9, 2024

Patient, PALO, Investment, Medicaid, Chronic pain, Health insurance

Additionally, on April 1, 2024, a multi-state Medicaid pharmaceutical purchasing group added ELYXYB® to its purchasing pool to make it eligible for thirteen States’ Medicaid programs.

Key Points:

Additionally, on April 1, 2024, a multi-state Medicaid pharmaceutical purchasing group added ELYXYB® to its purchasing pool to make it eligible for thirteen States’ Medicaid programs.
Scilex believes that high deductibles and co-pay programs should not prevent patients from receiving the medications they need.
Scilex co-pay programs are designed to help patients reduce their co-pay and out-of-pocket costs for their medications.
For more information on Scilex Holding Company, refer to www.scilexholding.com
For more information on ZTlido® including Full Prescribing Information, refer to www.ztlido.com .

Aspira Women’s Health Announces Anthem Blue Cross to Provide Coverage for OvaSuite(SM) in California

Retrieved on:

星期二, 四月 9, 2024

Elevance Health, Anthem, Gynaecology, Risk assessment, Medicare, Woman, Medicare Advantage, Physician, Health insurance

Anthem Blue Cross will provide coverage for its commercial and government lines of business, including Medicare Advantage and Medicaid, which represents a total of approximately six million covered lives in California.

Key Points:

Anthem Blue Cross will provide coverage for its commercial and government lines of business, including Medicare Advantage and Medicaid, which represents a total of approximately six million covered lives in California.
“We are very pleased to add Anthem Blue Cross to our list of payers providing coverage for our OvaSuite portfolio, which provides a clear benefit to physicians in their clinical assessment of women with adnexal masses,” said Torsten Hombeck, Chief Financial Officer of Aspira.
Our strategic focus on payer adoption continues to gather momentum.”
Anthem is a leading health company dedicated to improving lives and communities.
Through its affiliated companies, Anthem serves more than 118 million people, including more than 45 million within its family of health plans.

New Research From Inovalon and Harvard Analyzes Medicare Advantage Plan Design Impact on Healthcare Utilization and Health Equity

Retrieved on:

星期一, 四月 8, 2024

Harvard Medical School, HMO, Health, Preferred provider organization, Importance, Inovalon, Research, Health maintenance organization, PPO, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, FFS, Health insurance

The findings, published in the white paper " The Importance of Plan Design in Medicare Advantage ," represent the fourth installment of Inovalon’s and Harvard Medical School’s research collaboration to understand the underlying factors influencing enrollment, quality outcomes, and utilization in MA vs. FFS Medicare.

Key Points:

The findings, published in the white paper " The Importance of Plan Design in Medicare Advantage ," represent the fourth installment of Inovalon’s and Harvard Medical School’s research collaboration to understand the underlying factors influencing enrollment, quality outcomes, and utilization in MA vs. FFS Medicare.
Previous research found that MA delivers superior quality outcomes and utilization reductions compared to FFS Medicare, even after controlling for differences in who enrolls.
However, until now, there was limited data on the differences within MA, and how specific MA plan designs and features impact outcomes.
"By understanding the populations Medicare Advantage plans attract, policymakers and health plans can come together to incentivize and deliver superior, cost-effective outcomes for every Medicare enrollee."

inGroup International Reports 10,000+ Partners Now Enjoying Monthly Membership Free Status

Retrieved on:

星期三, 四月 3, 2024

Loyalty, Partner, Monthly, Travel, Health insurance

GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico, April 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- inGroup International is reporting that more than 10,000 referring Partners achieved Membership Free status in each of the past two months.

Key Points:

GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico, April 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- inGroup International is reporting that more than 10,000 referring Partners achieved Membership Free status in each of the past two months.
“The ‘Membership Free’ Incentive is powerful and simple,” says Doug Corrigan, inGroups Chief Marketing Officer.
“Partners get their monthly $100 membership payment waived by referring five paying Members and receive 200 Reward Points monthly at no cost as long as they maintain five paying Members.
In that time, 43,032 different inCruises Partners have received at least one monthly Membership Free award.