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Haze pollution not only affects the quality of economic growth and the image of the government, but also seriously affects public health. With the improvement of climate risk perception, the public is actively seeking all kinds of risk management measures to combat the hazards of haze pollution. The study of the relationship between haze pollution, climate risk perception and the development of commercial health insurance is of great significance to the formulation of haze control policies and the improvement of social security system. This paper attempts to explore the relationship between haze pollution, climate risk perception and commercial health insurance demand by establishing static and dynamic models based on panel data from 31 provinces in China from 2005 to 2022. Also, the spatial spillover effects of haze pollution in different regions on the development of commercial health insurance in other regions are investigated by establishing a spatial Durbin model. It is found that (1) haze pollution has a lagged positive effect on the demand for commercial health insurance; (2) haze pollution has a significant spatial spillover effect on the development of commercial health insurance; (3) this study used Python technology to construct a climate risk perception index, and found that the moderating effect of the residents' perception of climate risk existed significantly, and that the residents might take other measures to manage the risk in the short term, but in the long term, the climate risk perception showed a positive correlation with the level of education. This paper provides implications for government departments and social media to strengthen education and publicity, improve residents' awareness of risk diversification, and deepen the concept of commercial health protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: When prescribed with opioids, sedative-hypnotics substantially increase the risk of overdose. The objective of this paper was to describe characteristics and trends in opioid sedative-hypnotic co-prescribing in a network of safety-net clinics serving low-income, publicly insured, and uninsured individuals. Methods: This retrospective longitudinal analysis of prescription orders examined opioid sedative-hypnotic co-prescribing rates between 2009 and 2018 in the OCHIN network of safety-net community health centers. Sedative-hypnotics included benzodiazepine and non-benzodiazepine sedatives (eg, zolpidem). Co-prescribing patterns were assessed overall and across patient demographic and co-morbidity characteristics. Results: From 2009 to 2018, 240 587 patients had ≥1 opioid prescriptions. Most were White (65%), female (59%), and had Medicaid insurance (43%). One in 4 were chronic opioid users (25%). During this period, 55 332 (23%) were co-prescribed a sedative-hypnotic. The prevalence of co-prescribing was highest for females (26% vs 19% for males), non-Hispanic Whites (28% vs 13% for Hispanic to 20% for unknown), those over 44 years of age (25% vs 20% for <44 years), Medicare insurance (30% vs 21% for uninsured to 22% for other/unknown), and among those on chronic opioid therapy (40%). Co-prescribing peaked in 2010 (32%) and declined steadily through 2018 (20%). Trends were similar across demographic subgroups. Co-prescribed sedative-hypnotics remained elevated for those with chronic opioid use (27%), non-Hispanic Whites (24%), females (23%), and those with Medicare (23%) or commercial insurance (22%). Conclusions: Co-prescribed sedative-hypnotic use has declined steadily since 2010 across all demographic subgroups in the OCHIN population. Concurrent use remains elevated in several population subgroups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper summarizes emerging practice and research issues in the health insurance industry. We provide an industry overview, epitomize business analytics applications, and outline current and emerging problems of interest to key stakeholders and researchers in information systems, operations management, and healthcare management. Specifically, we focus on three areas of research that are of importance to the health insurance industry as well as the healthcare system: (i) management and evaluation of intervention programs, (ii) creation of effective provider networks, and (iii) emerging issues such as the impact of a pandemic, patient communication and steering, and technological innovations in health care. We lay out brief details of how each of these problems can be formulated, where the data can be acquired (public and/or proprietary data sets), and provide guidance for solving them. For several of these problems, we provide models that span causal modeling, predictive modeling, and prescriptive modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of universal healthcare on patient choice and quality of care. Lack of health insurance is a leading contributor to emergency department (ED) visits from the uninsured. Using a natural experiment from Massachusetts, we follow previously uninsured individuals over time—both before and after the implementation of universal healthcare—to study the effects of insurance availability on their healthcare seeking behavior. We find that the availability of health insurance has a significant impact on the type of healthcare sought by the previously uninsured. Specifically, individuals are less likely to continue visiting the ED and instead more likely to choose hospital inpatient and outpatient services. We find that frequent fliers and patients with chronic conditions, who are both known to account for a substantial share of healthcare costs, exhibit heterogeneity in this behavior. Finally, we examine the effect of the policy on quality of care, as measured by short‐term ED revisits. Although the overall revisit rates remain unchanged, frequent ED users and chronic patients experience a decline in short‐term ED revisits. With key features of the Affordable Care Act being frequently criticized for repeal, understanding how these changes influence patient choice and quality of care is significantly policy relevant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commercial insurance is an important risk management tool whose demand is affected by psychological factors. Music can promote consumption by evoking non-random emotional and behavioral responses in consumers . Using data from the China Comprehensive Social Survey, we examined the impact of music on commercial insurance purchase behavior using a probit model, an instrumental variable, propensity score matching, and other methods. The results indicate that music can significantly increase the probability of residents purchasing commercial medical insurance and endowment insurance by 2.569% and 1.869%, respectively. Regarding the mechanism, music encourages residents to purchase insurance by increasing their general cognition, risk cognition, insurance cognition, and ability to manage risk. Furthermore, an analysis of heterogeneity shows that music plays a greater role in promoting the aforementioned behavior of residents with lower levels of education, lower frequencies of social interaction, internet usage, an agricultural household registration, and of residents with jobs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universal health insurance is widely believed to be a key strategy for improving health services. However, few studies have examined whether it increases the use of modern contraceptives. The purpose of the present research is to determine whether the policy of incorporating family planning services into the national health insurance policy in Indonesia (Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional [JKN], implemented in 2016) has led to an increase in the use of modern contraceptives. The data were obtained from the 2019 Government Performance and Accountability Survey (GPAS; T otal = 46,220 married women aged 15–49 years). The findings show that women who are covered by the health insurance scheme for non-poor families (JKN non-PBI) are 19.12 times more likely to use modern contraceptives than women who are uninsured. Women who are covered by health insurance scheme for poor families (JKN PBI) are 17.04 times more likely to use modern contraceptives than those who are uninsured. These results are robust against predisposing, enabling and need factors associated with modern contraceptive uptake (i.e., education, family economic status, religion, knowledge of modern contraception, age at time of first marriage, perception of the ideal number of children, number of children born alive, and area of residence). The findings suggest that the government should expand health insurance benefits in order to increase the uptake of modern contraceptives, particularly among disadvantaged group within communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The primary aim of this study was to define the impact of socioeconomic factors, such as national area of deprivation index (ADI) and medical insurance type, on the access to orthopaedic care after an ACL rupture. The secondary aim was to determine if these variables, national ADI and medical insurance, were associated with second ACL injury after primary ACLR. We hypothesized that patients with a greater national deprivation index and Medicaid insurance will have less access to specialized care and an increased risk of re-injury. Methods: An IRB approved retrospective study was conducted evaluating 339 patients that underwent ACL reconstructions between November 2015 and August 2018 by 3 sports medicine fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeons. Patients undergoing primary ACL reconstruction were included. Demographic and surgical characteristics data were obtained via chart review and telephone interviews. National ADI percentile was obtained utilizing the Neighborhood Atlas Website and the patients' home addresses. The relationship between national ADI percentile and care characteristics (e.g., time to specialized care) were investigated using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients (p) while the association between patient and care characteristics, and second ACL injury were investigated using multivariable logistic regression. Results: A total of 339 patients met inclusion criteria and had complete datasets for all variables of interest. Participants had an average age of 23 ± 7.4 yrs. 55.8% of the patients were males and identified themselves as: White 45.7%, African American 14.5%, Asian 11.8%, Hispanic 7.7% and Other 21.3%. Patients with a greater national ADI percentage took longer to seek specialized care from time of injury (p = 0.141, p = 0.009) as well as to undergo surgery from time of injury (p = 0.183, p < 0.001). Individuals who utilized Medicaid insurance had significantly greater odds of experiencing a second ACL injury (OR = 3.079, p = 0.023) when compared to individuals who utilized commercial insurance. National ADI percentile (p = 0.208), time from injury to specialized care (p = 0.342), and time from specialized care to surgery (p = 0.051) did not significantly contribute to the model. Conclusions: Lower socioeconomic status adversely affects timing of care and re-injury rates following an ACL injury. Patients with a greater national ADI percentage took significantly longer to seek specialized care and obtain surgery following ACL injury. Patients utilizing Medicaid insurance were more likely to sustain a re-injury following ACL Reconstruction. Future studies should look at factors that impede access to care and adversely affect post-operative outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To reduce the number of new HIV infections and improve HIV health care outcomes, the social conditions in which people live and work should be assessed. The objective of this study was to describe linkage to HIV medical care by selected demographic characteristics and social determinants of health (SDH) among US adults with HIV at the county level. Methods: We used National HIV Surveillance System data from 42 US jurisdictions and data from the American Community Survey to describe differences in linkage to HIV medical care among adults aged ≥18 with HIV infection diagnosed in 2017. We categorized SDH variables into higher or lower levels of poverty (where <13% or ≥13% of the population lived below the federal poverty level), education (where <13% or ≥13% of the population had

Objectives:Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is recommended in patients with white coat hypertension (HTN) by national guideline, but was poorly utilized, and is available only in very limited subspecialty clinics. We aim to examine the feasibility and utility of ABPM in a primary care setting in the diagnosis and management of white coat HTN including the implementation and modification of antihypertensive therapy. Methods: Patients who have elevated blood pressure in clinic office but normal blood pressure readings at home are eligible for 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring. We analyzed data from patients who were suspected to have white coat HTN in the last 2 years underwent ABPM in our practice. Results: Among 68 patients, 54 patients met the selection criteria. ABPM showed that 13 patients had normal BP (24%), while 41 patients (76%) had persistent HTN. Among these patients with persistent HTN, 28 patients had intervention including 24 patients prescribed with new anti-hypertensive medication or medication increase, 3 patients prescribed with additional lifestyle modification and one started CPAP.13 patients with slightly elevated BP (133/77 for average daytime BP) didn't have medication adjustment. Conclusion: ABPM has substantial utility in the diagnosis and management of white coat HTN in a primary care setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The sustainability of the National Health Insurance (NHI) program heavily relies on the premium of its member. The negligence of a large number of members at pay the premium lead to the failure of the Social Security Agency for Health (SSAH) to deliver its services. This study aims at analyzing important factors that influence the sustainability of premium payment of NHI's self-enrolled members in the Jakarta Greater Area. Design and methods: This study performed an econometric analysis from the panel and the same respondent's data in 2015 and 2017. The population of the study was NHI's self-enrolled members who lived in the City of Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi, (Jakarta Greater Area) and it represents the urban area of Indonesia. The ordinal logistic regression model was used to determine the type of sustainability NHI premium payment. Results: The survey shows that around 28.3% of self-enrolled members do not pay the NHI insurance premium regularly. Applying ordered logit this study statistically confirms that age of household head, income per month, never experience economic hardship, 1st/2nd class registration, and benefits of SSAH are positively correlated with compliance rate to pay NHI insurance premium. Whereas tobacco consumption, health-seeking behavior, and the 2016 increase of premium are negatively correlated with regular premium payment. Conclusions: This study calls for policy intervention to improve compliance of premium payment such as i) massive promotion of insurance literacy and benefits of insurance through a health professional, internet, and government officer; ii) expanding auto-debit and installment premium payment; iii) incentive for paying premium regularly and not smoking; and iv) improving access and quality of health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Rural residents comprise approximately 15% of the United States population. They face challenges in accessing and using a health care system that is not structured to meet their unique needs. It is important to understand rural residents' perceptions of health and experiences interacting with the health care system to identify gaps in care. Methods: Our team conducted focus groups with members of the Michigan Farm Bureau during their 2019 Annual Meeting. Topics explored included resources to manage health, barriers to virtual health care services, and desired changes to localized healthcare delivery. Surveys were used to capture demographic and internet access information. Conclusion: Analysis included data from 2 focus groups (n = 14). Participants represented a wide age range and a variety of Michigan counties. The majority were full-time farm owners with most—93% (n = 13)—reporting they had access to the internet in their homes and 86% (n = 12) reporting that their cellphones had internet capabilities. Participants identified challenges and opportunities in 4 categories: formal health care; health and well-being supports; health insurance experiences; and virtual health care. Conclusion: The findings from this study provide a useful framework for developing interventions to address the specific needs of rural farming residents. Despite the expressed challenges in access and use of health care services and resources, participants remained hopeful that innovative approaches, such as virtual health platforms, can address existing gaps in care. The study findings should inform the design and evaluation of interventions to address rural health disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction/Objectives: Despite compelling evidence of clinical and economic benefits, adherence to colorectal cancer (CRC) screening remains low. Increasing public awareness through various outreach methods may improve screening uptake. The objective of this study was to evaluate the uptake of non-invasive multi-target stool DNA (mt-sDNA) by different outreach methods in an average-risk employer population. Methods: This retrospective observational study included CRC screening-eligible individuals aged ≥50 years insured by the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) employee healthcare plan. The study intervention arms included population-based outreach and office visit-based interaction. The mt-sDNA completion rate (proportion of individuals who return the mt-sDNA kit after consenting to have it shipped to their home), proportion of patients who performed follow-up colonoscopy after a positive test, and time to follow-up colonoscopy were assessed. Results: A total of 167 mt-sDNA kits were shipped to eligible participants (aged 50-64 years) in the population-based outreach arm. In the office visit-based interaction arm, a total of 132 mt-sDNA kits were shipped to eligible participants (aged ≥50 years). The mt-sDNA completion rate was significantly higher for office visit-based interaction as compared to population-based outreach (76.8% vs 53.5%; P <.001) among those aged 50 to 64 years. While all patients aged 50 to 64 years with a positive mt-sDNA result received a follow-up colonoscopy in both arms, the median time to follow-up colonoscopy was shorter among the population-based outreach (55 vs 136 days; P <.05). Conclusions: Office visit-based interaction was associated with a higher mt-sDNA completion rate as compared to the population-based outreach among average-risk, CRC screening-eligible individuals aged 50 to 64 years old. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]