Insurance - private and public - a payment puzzle
Article Abstract:
Long-term care insurance is now the fastest growing type of health insurance being sold as people look for ways to meet the staggering costs of long term care. One year in a nursing home costs an average $30,000 a year and can easily cost more than double that amount in urban areas. While Medicaid covers about 2/3 of the nation's nursing home residents, those who do not qualify may face impoverishment as a lifetime of savings is depleted in a few years. Proponents of private long-term insurance say it is a way of ensuring that those with at least some means contribute to their expenses while protecting their assets. One approach to long-term care insurance is similar to regular health insurance in that large companies and state governments offer policies to employees that are about 20% cheaper than individual plans. The second approach is a partnership between state governments and consumers who pay premiums up front in exchange for long term care that does not use up their assets. Buyers should beware of policies that can raise premiums or that do not protect against inflation.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1993
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International consensus report urges sweeping reform in asthma treatment
Article Abstract:
An international panel of experts on asthma (The International Asthma Management Project) released a report recommending that physicians change their approach to treatment of asthma patients. Physicians should treat asthma as a chronic inflammatory disease rather than treating individual episodes of asthma. Patients with asthma should be treated with inhaled anti-inflammatory drugs such as corticosteroids rather than the beta2-agonist bronchodilators commonly used in the US. Only one in 10 physicians in the US prescribes anti-inflammatory drugs to asthma patients. Bronchodilators do not stop the inflammation that occurs in the lungs of asthma patients. Asthma patients who receive early treatment for inflammation may avoid long-term complications. More than 50% of asthmas patients do not follow treatment guidelines for a variety of reasons. They should have frequent checkups to monitor the severity of their asthma. Physicians need to spend more time educating asthma patients about treatment and risks associated with asthma.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1992
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