On squeezing balloons: cost control fails again

Article Abstract:

When you squeeze a balloon, the balloon never gets smaller. The part you squeeze does, but another part of the balloon pops out. Attempts to control the cost of medical care resemble squeezing a balloon. In the United States, health care costs consume $700 billion each year, about 12 percent of the gross national product; it is clear that some cost control is necessary. However, in the October 10, 1991 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, data are presented which show how an attempt to control costs in New Hampshire may actually have driven them up. A three-drug limit for reimbursement under Medicaid was imposed. The result was that patients used less of several kinds of drugs important for their health. While expenditures for drugs declined, more patients needed to be admitted to nursing homes. Unfortunately, although the three-drug limit was abandoned after 11 months, most of the patients who entered nursing homes stayed there. Does this mean that we should not make further attempts at cost control? Or that attempts at cost control are doomed to failure? The lesson to be learned is that any system as complicated as the health care delivery system can only be modified in an approach which includes many aspects simultaneously. Other nations have managed to achieve some control over the costs of medical care. However, the United States seems unable to face the problem directly. The data published in the Journal illustrate how attempts to nip away at corners of health care costs may fail completely; it seems likely that any attempts to painlessly trim health care costs without an overall plan are likewise destined for failure. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Health aspects, Economic aspects, Medical care, Cost of, Health care costs, New Hampshire, Medicaid, editorial, Cost shifting (Medical care)

---

Tobacco control in the wake of the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement

Article Abstract:

The usefulness of the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between 46 states and the US tobacco industry as an instrument for reducing tobacco use is analyzed. The background, terms, limitations, and strengths of the settlement itself are reviewed. Additional topics include tobacco control policies such as taxation, clean indoor air initiatives, smoking cessation programs, and international trade policies.

Legal issues & crime, Legal/Government Regulation, Company legal issue, Cases, Prevention, Smoking, Tobacco industry

---

Prosepcts for expanding health insurance coverage

Article Abstract:

It is possible that Congress will expand health insurance coverage to those not currently insured. Strategies include tax credits, expanding Medicaid, Medicare, and the state Children's Health Insurance Program, and creating new forms of pooled purchasing for employers.

Health insurance

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Is birth control hormone control? Does taking the pill make it harder to lose fat and gain muscle? Fast breaks
• Abstracts: Juvenile glaucoma, race, and refraction. Impact of New Technologies in Medicine: call for papers for the 1999 Global Theme Issue
• Abstracts: Using a biological indicator to detect potential sources of cross-contamination in the dental operatory. Evaluation of a hydrogen peroxide disinfectant for dental unit waterlines
• Abstracts: Reevaluation of the role of culdocentesis in the management of ectopic pregnancy. Defining the incidence of serious complications experienced by oocyte donors: a review of 1000 cases
• Abstracts: Noise levels produce an international concern. How Howard Pyle helped make America safer. Workplace solutions

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.