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Report: Excess Deaths Associated with Underweight, Overweight, and Obesity

Excerpt: Conclusions Underweight and obesity, particularly higher levels of obesity, were associated with increased mortality relative to the normal weight category. The impact of obesity on mortality may have decreased over time, perhaps because of improvements in public health and medical care. These findings are consistent with the increases in life expectancy in the United States and the declining mortality rates from ischemic heart disease.

Investor-Owned HMOs Deliver Lower Quality of Care Than Not-For-Profit HMOs

"Investor-owned health maintenance organization (HMO) plans had lower rates for all 14 quality-of-care indicators studied when compared with not-for-profit HMO plans, according to an article in the July 14 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)."

Guess Who Foots America's Health Care Bill? Not Employers.

Excerpt: In the latest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the always-compelling duo of Ezekiel Emanuel and Victor Fuchs -- associated with the National Institutes of Health and Stanford University respectively -- dispel the myth of 'shared responsibility' in health care financing. What does this mean, exactly? Simple: 'the common claim that employers, government, and households all pay for health care is false. Employers do not share fiscal responsibility and employers do not pay for health care.' In fact, the 'money [for health care] comes from [our] own pockets.'

Abstract: Awareness and Use of California's Paid Family Leave Insurance Among Parents of Chronically Ill Children

Excerpt: Conclusions Parents of children with special health care needs receiving care at a California hospital were generally unaware of PFLI and rarely used it. Among parents of children with special health care needs, taking leave in California did not increase after PFLI implementation compared with Illinois.

U.S. Health Care Reform: Progress to Date and Next Steps

"Policy makers should build on progress made by the [ACA] by continuing to implement the Health Insurance Marketplaces and delivery system reform, increasing federal financial assistance for Marketplace enrollees, introducing a public plan option in areas lacking individual market competition, and taking actions to reduce prescription drug costs. Although partisanship and special interest opposition remain, experience with the [ACA] demonstrates that positive change is achievable on some of the nation's most complex challenges."

Does Your Wellness Program Hurt Your Profit -- and Maybe Even Your Employees?

"Suppose a vendor made you this proposal: 'Pay us to take your employees off the job for medical tests that the government specifically says are unnecessary, and then send them to the doctor (at your expense) even though the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) says healthy adults don't benefit from checkups. We also want you to bribe or even fine employees to drive participation. Despite this adverse morale impact and wasted time and money, we promise you'll reduce your healthcare spending, mostly because we'll make up the savings numbers.' ... Think you'd decline this proposal? If you have a wellness program built around screenings, doctor visits, and 'incentives,' you've actually already accepted it."

Effect of the New York State Marriage Equality Act on Health Insurance Coverage

"On July 24, 2011, New York State began licensing same-sex marriages under the state's Marriage Equality Act ... This study investigated the association between legalizing same-sex marriage in New York and changes in health insurance coverage in men and women.... Compared with men in opposite-sex relationships, same-sex marriage was associated with a 6.3 percentage point increase in [employer-sponsored insurance (ESI)] ... for men in same-sex relationships ... Same-sex marriage was also associated with an 8.9 percentage point increase in ESI ... for women in same-sex relationships vs. women in opposite-sex relationships."

Attitudes Toward Mandated Coverage of Birth Control Medication and Other Health Benefits

"Most respondents ... supported a policy of mandated coverage of birth control medication in health plans. This proportion was significantly lower than the proportion that supported other benefits ... In multivariable regression analysis, support for mandated coverage of birth control medication was significantly higher among women, non-Hispanic blacks, Hispanics, parents with children younger than 18 years living in the home, and adults with private or public insurance vs comparison groups ... but was not associated with education or income."

Changes in Health Care Spending and Quality for Medicare Beneficiaries Associated With a Commercial ACO Contract

"The [Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of Massachusetts' Alternative Quality Contract] was associated with lower spending for Medicare beneficiaries but not with consistently improved quality. Savings among Medicare beneficiaries and previously demonstrated savings among BCBS enrollees varied similarly across settings, services, and time, suggesting that organizational responses were associated with broad changes in patient care."

The Relationship Between Occurrence of Surgical Complications and Hospital Finances

[Excerpt from summary of findings:] "In this hospital system, the occurrence of postsurgical complications was associated with a higher per-encounter hospital contribution margin for patients covered by Medicare and private insurance but a lower one for patients covered by Medicaid and who self-paid. Depending on payer mix, many hospitals have the potential for adverse near-term financial consequences for decreasing postsurgical complications."