COVID-19 Recession: Young Adult Food Insecurity,Racial Disparities,and Correlates

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic has inflicted devastating health, social, and economic effects globally. This study examines the experiences of young adults in the United States with respect to food insecurity during the pandemic and factors associated with higher and lower risk for young adult food insecurity.MethodsUsing the U.S. Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey, a nationally representative survey collecting information on people's experiences throughout the pandemic, we analyzed prevalence of, and factors associated with young adult food insecurity during the pandemic.ResultsOverall, 13% of young adults aged 18–25 years reported often or sometimes not having enough to eat in the last 7 days at a given time during pandemic, on average, with Black and Hispanic young people facing higher rates of food insecurity (22% and 15%, respectively) than White non-Hispanic peers (11%). Over the observed pandemic period, we find a decline in food insecurity among young adults corresponding with economic policy actions. Factors associated with a higher risk of food insecurity include lower household income, expected job loss, renting as opposed to owning housing, behind on rent or mortgage payment, lack of confidence in an ability to pay next month's rent or mortgage, delayed medical care, and feeling worried or depressed.DiscussionOur analyses reveal alarming levels of food insecurity among young adults, especially Black and Hispanic young people. Policy actions should include multifaceted and sustained interventions with a focus on supporting historically disenfranchised youth and their communities. These should prevent and address food and housing insecurity and mental health needs holistically.     

A review of international coverage and pricing strategies for personalized medicine and orphan drugs

Background

Personalized medicine and orphan drugs share many characteristics—both target small patient populations, have uncertainties regarding efficacy and safety at payer submission, and frequently have high prices. Given personalized medicine's rising importance, this review summarizes international coverage and pricing strategies for personalized medicine and orphan drugs as well as their impact on therapy development incentives, payer budgets, and therapy access and utilization.

基于集中指数的妇幼健康服务和妇幼健康公平性分析

目的 对妇幼健康公平性进行分析,为促进妇幼保健服务和提高妇幼健康公平程度提供借鉴和参考.方法 利用《中国卫生统计年鉴》《中国卫生和计划生育统计年鉴》《中国统计年鉴》中的相关资料,计算反映妇幼保健服务和妇幼健康水平的各项指标的集中指数.结果 孕产妇系统管理、产前检查、产后访视、儿童保健管理的集中指数均为正值,反映出其主要集中在社会经济发展水平相对富裕的省份,围产儿死亡、孕产妇死亡的集中指数均为负值,反映出其主要集中于社会经济发展水平相对落后的省份.2008-2013年我国妇幼保健服务及妇幼健康的不公平性在各省(市、区)间的差距有所改善.结论 不同省(市、区)的妇幼保健服务和妇幼健康状况的不公平程度有所改善,应发展贫困地区经济,缩小贫富差距,注重对中部地区的支持,提高妇幼保健服务的效率和质量,从而改善妇幼健康.     

2011—2015年内蒙古科右中旗基层卫生院 人力资源配置的现状与公平性研究*

目的 研究科右中旗乡镇(苏木)卫生院卫生人力资源配置的公平性,为内蒙古少数民族地区基层卫生院卫生人力资源合理配置和政府科学决策提供依据。方法 本次调查采用整群分层随机抽样的方法对科右中旗乡镇(苏木)卫生院2011—2015年卫生人力资源配置情况进行调查。结果 2011—2015年科右中旗乡镇(苏木)卫生院拥有卫生技术人员数逐渐增加;本科、专科学历人员数较少,中专及以下学历人员数占有绝对比重;高、中、初三级职称人员结构不合理,其职称以初级为主,无职称人员也有相当大的比重;医生和护士资源按人口分布、地理面积分布的Gini系数为：0.12、0.25、0.21、0.34,公平性较好。结论 2011—2015年科右中旗乡镇(苏木)卫生院面临着卫生技术人员缺乏,学历、职称层次较低,总体素质不高,技术水平落后等诸多问题急需加以解决。     

社区卫生服务定价与补偿机制研究(三)

为了制定适当的社区卫生服务价格，对社区卫生服务进行合理的补偿，本文在对4省12市46个社区卫生服务中心(或站)的项目成本进行测算的基础上，应用标准成本计算方法得出各项服务的建议价格。对社区卫生服务政府补偿额进行了测算，提出了社区卫生服务补偿的政策建议。     

The concept of Gemeinschaft in health planning and management: a Japanese perspective.

The rationale for public involvement in the health sector lies mainly in realizing equity values. As the Gesellschaft relationship of utility maximization cannot be relied upon to arrive at a level of health care regarded as equitable in geographic and other terms, this article argues that there is need to focus on the Gemeinschaft relationship of humanitarian concern. Policy-makers would, firstly, have to define explicitly the objectives at each policy level; and, secondly, to convince and educate the public and the health providers that such is the way forward. At the operational level, the Japanese-style management with its emphasis on the mutual commitment of the management and the workers to the organization, would seem to offer a way to unify the fragmented interests within the hospital setting. A comparative study of the health systems of the UK, Japan and the US is made to evaluate the constraints and opportunities each country faces, or would face, in realizing the Gemeinschaft concept at the policy and operational levels. The conclusion reached is that, despite the difficulties, this concept appears to offer a viable alternative to the intensified conflict for resources in the health sector.     

Is demand-side financing equity enhancing? Lessons from a maternal health voucher scheme in Bangladesh

Demand-side financing (DSF) is used in the less-developed countries of the world to improve access to healthcare and to encourage market supply. Under DSF, households receive vouchers that can be used to pay for healthcare services. This study evaluated the effects of a universal DSF on maternal healthcare service utilization in Bangladesh. A household survey was conducted in and around the voucher scheme area one year after the initiation of the project. Women who gave birth within a year prior to the survey were interviewed. The utilization rates of maternal health services were found to be higher for all socioeconomic groups in the project area than in the comparison areas. Voucher recipients in the project area were 3.6 times more likely to be assisted by skilled health personnel during delivery, 2.5 times more likely to deliver the baby in a health facility, 2.8 times more likely to receive postnatal care (PNC), 2.0 times more likely to get antenatal care (ANC) services and 1.5 times more likely to seek treatment for obstetric complications than pregnant women not in the program. The degree of socioeconomic inequality in maternal health service utilization was also lower in the project area than in the comparison area. The use of vouchers evidenced much stronger demand-increasing effects on the poor. Poor voucher recipients were 4.3 times more likely to deliver in a health facility and two times more likely to use skilled health personnel at delivery than the non-poor recipients. Contrary to the inverse equity hypothesis, the voucher scheme reduced inequality even in the short run. Despite these improvements, socioeconomic disparity in the use of maternal health services has remained pro-rich, implying that demand-side financing alone will be insufficient to achieve the Millennium Development Goal for maternal health. A comprehensive system-wide approach, including supply-side strengthening, will be needed to adequately address maternal health concerns in poor developing countries.     

Pathways of influence on equity in health

An increasing number of studies are documenting the existence of inequities, and attention is now turning to exploring pathways through which they are generated and might be attacked. This appears to be an opportune time to consider what has been learned and what future directions might be taken by researchers to fill gaps in knowledge and make research more useful for policy interventions. This commentary briefly reviews some of the main contributions of past research that have possible relevance to pathways, considers what those pathways might include, and concludes with implications for future research. It makes the case for a conceptualization of influences on equity that explicitly includes distribution of health as an outcome as well as characteristics of the society as influences.     

Impacts of China's edible oil pricing policy on nutrition

China's health profile has shifted to one dominated by obesity and nutrition-related noncommunicable diseases (NR-NCDs) necessitating an examination of how economic policies can improve this situation. Edible oil consumption is responsible for much of the increase in energy density of the Chinese diet and particularly linked with the shifting burden of NR-NCDs toward the poor. Longitudinal analysis among adults in the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) covering the period 1991-2000 revealed that price policy effects on edible oil can influence dietary composition (particularly of the poor) and the results identify a key preventive policy need.     

The effect of tax subsidies on high health care expenditure burdens in the United States

Previous analyses of families with high health care expenditure burdens have ignored the potentially mitigating effects of tax subsidies. This analysis uses data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) to fill this gap. A range of health expenditure burden measures are computed, with and without tax subsidies, showing the impact that tax subsidies have on both the prevalence and magnitude of high health care spending burdens among the nonelderly.