Participant Satisfaction with a Food Benefit Program with Restrictions and Incentives

Background

Policy makers are considering changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Proposed changes include financially incentivizing the purchase of healthier foods and prohibiting the use of funds for purchasing foods high in added sugars. SNAP participant perspectives may be useful in understanding the consequences of these proposed changes.

ARIMA模型、BP神经网络及其组合模型在卫生政策评估中的实证比较:以公立医院价格改革为例

目的:探索不同反向事实构建方法对医院财务数据预测的效率,以期对政策进行更有效的评估。方法:借助R软件,用南京市公立医院A在2011—2016年的药品收入、医疗服务收入建立测试数据集,分别用ARIMA模型、BP神经网络、ARIMA+BP组合模型进行预测并与实际拟合,并比较改革前后补偿率。结果:三个模型对药品收入的均方根误差分别为692.82、501.44、380.80,医疗服务收入的均方根误差分别为184.04、215.63、168.65,组合模型预测效率更高。用组合模型计算改革后A医院药品收入净损失为12 044.03万元,医疗服务收入净增长为18 532.60万元,为药品收入损失的153.87%。结论:医院财务数据因其线性与非线性的组合特征,使用组合预测模型的预测效果最佳。但在实际应用中,ARIMA模型操作简单,与组合模型预测趋势也较为一致,在实际卫生政策评估中也推荐使用。     

Rethinking Medicaid Coverage and Payment Policy to Promote High Value Care: The Case of Long-Acting Reversible Contraception

Context

Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) is the most effective reversible method to prevent unplanned pregnancies. Variability in state-level policies and the high cost of LARC could create substantial inconsistencies in Medicaid coverage, despite federal guidance aimed at enhancing broad access. This study surveyed state Medicaid payment policies and outreach activities related to LARC to explore the scope of services covered.

Impacts of the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid Expansion on Women of Reproductive Age: Differences by Parental Status and State Policies

Introduction

We use data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) from 2012 to 2015 to estimate the effects of the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) Medicaid expansions on insurance coverage and access to care for low-income women of reproductive age (19–44).

深圳市罗湖区医改政策分析

区级医改是中国医药卫生体制改革中重要但却经常被忽视的改革环节。2015年以来,深圳市罗湖区依据国家政策导向,结合辖区内的医疗卫生需求与问题,以推进"罗湖医院集团"建设为基本策略,进行了一系列富有成效的改革措施。罗湖区的改革在有利的政策时机和外部条件下,区级政府部门探索创新,走出了一条具有特色的区级医改之路,也体现了区级政府完全可能也应该成为中国地方医改中的一个积极的行动主体。当然,罗湖医改仍在继续,很多改革效果仍待观察,但其改革经验对于其他城市的医改具有重要借鉴意义。     

兼顾效率与公平的中国卫生资源配置:问题发现及政策路径

目的:探讨卫生资源公平且有效率的配置方式,促进居民公平有效分享公共卫生资源。方法:基于我国31个省级区域2010~2014年的数据,通过超效率DEA模型测算各地区卫生资源配置效率,以各地医疗卫生机构获得的人均财政补贴收入来考察卫生资源配置的公平情况,对卫生公平和效率进行静态差异分析和动态固化分析。结果:无论是地区之间还是内部,我国卫生资源公平的差异程度以及固化程度都比效率大,卫生资源存在不公平和不合理两大问题。结论:中央政府应加大卫生资源调节力度,精准扶持那些"低公平、高效率"的地区,并形成稳定的激励机制。     

Estimating costs and health outcomes of publicly funded tick-born encephalitis vaccination: A cost-effectiveness analysis

BackgroundThe number of notified cases of Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) in Sweden has been increasing the past years despite the increased use of TBE-vaccine not subsidized by the healthcare system. Stockholm County is a high endemic area and an earlier study has shown that low-income households have lower vaccination coverage even when they are at high risk. This paper aims to determine the cost-effectiveness of a publicly funded TBE vaccination program in Stockholm.MethodsIn three different cohorts with individuals aged 3, 40 or 50 years, long-term costs and health outcomes of an out-of-pocket strategy (53% of the cohort is vaccinated on their own expenses) and a structured vaccination program (full cohort is vaccinated covered by the publicly funded health care system), were estimated using a Markov model. The Markov model predicts the costs and effects in term of Quality-adjusted Life Years (QALYs) over a lifetime horizon using a third-party healthcare payer perspective. The primary results are presented as an incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) indicating the additional cost required to achieve one additional QALY with the structured vaccination program.ResultsThe results show that the structured vaccination program is associated with a gain in QALYs and increased costs compared with an out-of-pocket strategy. The calculated ICERs were 27 761, 99 527 and 160 827 SEK/QALY in cohorts of age 3, 40 and 50, respectively. The sensitivity analyses showed that the results are robust when varying different parameters.ConclusionGiven the setting of Stockholm county, this analysis shows a cost per QALY of a free vaccinations program, especially for children of 3 years old, below generally acceptable cost-effectiveness thresholds in Sweden.     

Taking stock of Roma health policies in Spain: Lessons for health governance

Roma health inequities are a wicked problem. Despite concerted efforts to reduce them under the Decade of Roma Inclusion initiative, the health gap between Roma and non-Roma populations in Europe persists. To address this problem, the European Commission devised the National Roma Integration Strategies (NRIS). This paper provides a critical assessment of the implementation of the NRIS’ health strand (NRIS-H) in Spain and proposes an evaluation tool to monitor Roma health policies – the Roma Health Integration Policy Index (RHIPEX). It also makes recommendations to promote Roma health governance. To achieve these goals, four community forums, 33 stakeholder interviews and a scoping review were conducted.Results show that the NRIS-H implementation is hindered by lack of political commitment and poor resource allocation. This has a negative impact on Roma’s entitlement to healthcare and on their participation in decision-making processes, jeopardising the elimination of the barriers that undermine their access to healthcare and potentially contributing to reproduce inequalities. These unintended effects point out the need to rethink Roma health governance by strengthening intersectional and intersectoral policies, enabling transformative Roma participation in policymaking and guaranteeing shared socio-political responsibility and accountability.     

The tobacco industry’s challenges to standardised packaging: A comparative analysis of issue framing in public relations campaigns in four countries

Tobacco industry public relations campaigns have played a key role in challenges to standardised cigarette packaging. This paper presents a comparative analysis of industry campaigns in Australia and the United Kingdom, which have implemented standardised packaging legislation; Canada, where policy has been adopted but not yet implemented; and the Netherlands, which has considered, but not enacted regulation. Campaigns were identified via Google searches, tobacco industry websites, media coverage, government submissions and previous research; analysis focused on issue framing and supporting evidence. Public relations campaigns in all case study countries drew on similar frames - the illicit trade in tobacco products, the encroaching ‘nanny state’, lack of evidence for the effectiveness of standardised packaging, a slippery slope of regulation, and inherent threats to intellectual property rights. These claims were supported by industry research, front groups and commissioned reports by accountancy firms, but were not with verifiable research. Independent evidence that contradicted industry positions was overlooked. Similarities in structure and content of public relations campaigns in countries that have enacted or considered regulation points to a strategic co-ordinated approach by cigarette manufacturers. Countries considering standardised packaging policy can expect powerful opposition from the tobacco industry. Tobacco control communities and policy makers can learn from previous experience, and share best practise in countering industry arguments.     

Why France is making eight new vaccines mandatory

France is one of the countries with the highest prevalence of vaccine hesitancy in the world. In an attempt to raise vaccination coverages, the French government made on January 1, 2018 eight more vaccines mandatory in addition to the three required until then. The process that led to this policy choice is of particular interest. We describe how vaccines became contentious in France and how French authorities came to view mandatory vaccination as the solution to the rise in vaccine hesitancy. In a bold move, French public health authorities turned to a new type of institutional device grounded in the ideal of democracy and public participation to political decision-making: “a citizen consultation”. This consultation anchored the idea that legal coercion could be the solution to France’s crisis with vaccines. Time will tell whether the French extension of mandatory vaccination will reduce tensions around vaccines.