Effects of state reinsurance programs on health insurance exchange premiums and insurer participation

Objective

The aim of the study was to estimate the effect of the state-based reinsurance programs through the section 1332 State Innovation Waivers on health insurance marketplace premiums and insurer participation.

Data Source

2015 to 2022 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Insurance Exchange Compare Datasets.

Study Design

An event study difference-in-differences (DD) model separately for each year of implementation and a synthetic control method (SCM) are used to estimate year-by-year effects following program implementation.

Data Collection/Extraction Methods

Not applicable.

Principal Findings

Reinsurance programs were associated with a decline in premiums in the first year of implementation by 10%–13%, 5%–19%, and 11%–17% for bronze, silver, and gold plans (p < 0.05). There is a trend of sustained declines especially for states that implemented their programs in 2019 and 2020. The SCM analyses suggest some effect heterogeneity across states but also premium declines across most states. There is no evidence that reinsurance programs affected insurer participation.

Conclusion

State-based reinsurance programs have the potential to improve the affordability of health insurance coverage. However, reinsurance programs do not appear to have had an effect on insurer participation, highlighting the need for policy makers to consider complementary strategies to encourage insurer participation.     

2010—2020年北京市房山区梅毒防治效果分析

目的了解北京市房山区梅毒规划(2010—2020年)实施期间梅毒防治效果和各考核指标达标情况,为下一步制定有效的梅毒防治策略提供科学依据。方法根据《中国预防与控制梅毒规划(2010—2020年)》(以下简称《梅控规划》)终期评估的要求,通过专网、现场调查、APP答题等方式对涉及的16个指标进行收集,并将16个指标划分为梅毒防治保障措施的落实、防治工作开展和防治效果3个层面进行评估,同时将评估结果与终期评估标准进行比较。采用SPSS 18.0软件进行描述性统计分析。结果2010—2020年北京市房山区共报告梅毒病例3260例,年均报告发病率27.99/10万,年均增长0.08%,男女比例基本持平,以25岁年龄组病例数最多,历年病例均以隐性梅毒为主。保障措施与能力建设方面均达标;防治工作方面:感染梅毒的孕产妇所生婴幼儿接受规范诊疗服务的比例为50.00%,梅毒患者接受规范化治疗的比例86.11%,两指标未达标,其余均达标;防治效果中一期和二期梅毒年报告发病率增长幅度为3.80%,未达标,先天梅毒年报告发病率为9.25/10万活产数达到了《梅控规划》的工作要求。结论2010—2020年北京市房山区梅毒防治工作取得了一定成效,但部分指标仍未达标,应继续加强梅毒防治工作,尤其是需提高规范化诊疗的比例同时控制新发梅毒发病率。     

A systematic review of the methodological quality of economic evaluations in genetic screening and testing for monogenic disorders

PurposeUnderstanding the value of genetic screening and testing for monogenic disorders requires high-quality, methodologically robust economic evaluations. This systematic review sought to assess the methodological quality among such studies and examined opportunities for improvement.MethodsWe searched PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, and Web of Science for economic evaluations of genetic screening/testing (2013-2019). Methodological rigor and adherence to best practices were systematically assessed using the British Medical Journal checklist.ResultsAcross the 47 identified studies, there were substantial variations in modeling approaches, reporting detail, and sophistication. Models ranged from simple decision trees to individual-level microsimulations that compared between 2 and >20 alternative interventions. Many studies failed to report sufficient detail to enable replication or did not justify modeling assumptions, especially for costing methods and utility values. Meta-analyses, systematic reviews, or calibration were rarely used to derive parameter estimates. Nearly all studies conducted some sensitivity analysis, and more sophisticated studies implemented probabilistic sensitivity/uncertainty analysis, threshold analysis, and value of information analysis.ConclusionWe describe a heterogeneous body of work and present recommendations and exemplar studies across the methodological domains of (1) perspective, scope, and parameter selection; (2) use of uncertainty/sensitivity analyses; and (3) reporting transparency for improvement in the economic evaluation of genetic screening/testing.     

Return to sport and beyond following intramuscular tendon hamstring injury: A case report of an English Premier League football player

BackgroundHamstring strain injuries are the most common type of injury in elite football and are associated with a high risk of reinjury, particularly those involving the intramuscular tendon (IMT). Limited information is available regarding the rehabilitation and return to sport (RTS) processes following such injuries. This case study describes the clinical presentation of an elite football player following IMT hamstring injury, their on- and off-pitch rehabilitation alongside performance monitoring throughout RTS and beyond.Case scenarioAn elite football player suffered a grade 2c hamstring injury during an English Premier League (EPL) match. The player underwent early post-injury management, alongside progressive off-pitch physical preparation. The ‘control-chaos continuum’ was used as a framework for on-pitch rehabilitation to prepare the player for a return to full team training and competition. Objective and subjective markers of the player's response to progressive on- and off-pitch loading were monitored throughout RTS and beyond.OutcomesThe player returned to on-pitch rehabilitation after 11 days, to full team training having achieved weekly pre-injury chronic running load outputs after 35 days and played in the EPL 40 days post-injury. The player did not suffer reinjury for the rest of the EPL season.ConclusionAn understanding the unique structural and mechanical properties of the IMT, alongside expected RTS timeframes are important to inform rehabilitation and decision-making processes post-injury. Performance and frequent load-response monitoring throughout RTS and beyond, in conjunction with practitioner experience and effective communication are critical in facilitating effective RTS and reduce risk of reinjury following IMT injury.     

Evaluation of six anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody test kits and practical approaches to optimize the diagnostic performance

In an investigation of six anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody kits with different target antigen and methodology, each kit showed comparable performance. As false-positive reactions occurred independently with different kits, specificity increased to 100% when pairs of kits were used. With three-kit combination, both sensitivity (99.1%) and specificity (100%) increased.     

Deepm5C: A deep-learning-based hybrid framework for identifying human RNA N5-methylcytosine sites using a stacking strategy

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