The large number of children who lack health insurance is a source of concern for public officials and policymakers. This brief notes that continuous coverage for children in the SCHIP and Medicaid programs—which allows them to maintain their eligibility for a specified period, regardless...

Medicare reform is at the top of the domestic policy agenda, and the role of private plans in that reform is a critical factor. Most of Medicare's experience with private plans has involved the Medicare+Choice (M+C) program. M+C plans, primarily HMOs, receive capitated payments and provide...

This article explains the key role the federal government plays in defining the context and process of comparative effectiveness research as well as its funding. It also explores the mission, priorities, and research agenda of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

Universal Health Coverage is a powerful framework for a nation aiming to protect their population against health risks. However, countries face multiple challenges in implementing, achieving and sustaining UHC strategies. Sharing and learning from diverse country experiences may enable to foster...

While universal health coverage (UHC) offers a powerful goal for a nation, all countries-irrespective of income are struggling with achieving or sustaining UHC. France is a high-income country where HC is in effect universal. Health-related costs are covered by a mix of mandatory social health...

This study examines whether health care is affected by Baumol's cost disease in a scenario of no growth. Baumol's model implies that stagnant sectors are driven by wage increases in excess of productivity growth. But in a no growth economy the income is constant. It is investigated in two...

In this paper, we use unique health record data that cover outpatient care and the associated costs to quantify the health care costs of a sizable increase in the retirement age in Germany. For the identification, we exploit a sizable cohort-specific pension reform which abolished an early...

This paper addresses the use of health economics in relation to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the Armed Forces, with a view to assessing the feasibility of carrying out future evaluative studies. Although psychological and pharmacological interventions can be used to treat PTSD, no...

Over the last two decades, the prevalence of obesity has risen worldwide. As obesity is a confirmed risk factor for a number of diseases, its increasing prevalence nurtures the supposition that obesity may present a growing and significant economic burden to society.