Discusses the emotional, financial, and structural reasons that health care costs in the United States, and therefore for colleges, continue to rise at staggering rates. Asserts that colleges must build health care cost reality into budget strategy, and level with constituents that there will not be a solution for the cost explosion any time soon.…

Objective: Data on the current costs of medical services for children with autism spectrum disorders are lacking. Our purpose for this study was to compare health care utilization and costs of children with and without autism spectrum disorders in the same health plan. Patients and Methods: Participants included all 2- to 18-year-old children with…

The favorable revenue forecasts greeting state lawmakers as they begin convening for the 2006 legislative season are tempered by the spiraling costs for Medicaid, high energy prices, and increased demands from K-12 and higher education. Continuing a trend that began three years ago, fiscal officers in 42 states told the National Conference of…

Context: There is a growing recognition of the need to measure and report hospital financial performance. However, there exists little comparative financial indicator data specifically for critical access hospitals (CAHs). CAHs differ from other hospitals on a number of dimensions that might affect appropriate indicators of performance, including…

In response to a request by Senator John Melcher of the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging, the General Accounting Office (GAO) reviewed legislative proposals designed to protect Medicare enrollees from the financial hardships that often accompany catastrophic illness. The GAO originally examined six legislative proposals introduced…

This report presents Wisconsin state legislation on long-term care insurance. Part I summarizes key provisions of six 1987 assembly bills concerned with long-term care insurance. Part II describes activities of the Wisconsin State Legislative Council's Special Committee on Long-Term Health Care Insurance. Part III provides background information…

Calculated financial ratios for 109 Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs). Noted problems with regard to asset productivity, profitability, and equity levels. Found that a risk-spreading charge structure for financing health care needs appeared to exist among CCRCs providing a full-care contract. (Author/ABL)

Offers insights on reigning in the costs of health care benefits from speakers at a two-day seminar for campus human resource professionals sponsored by TIAA-CREF Institute. Issues addressed include why chief financial officers must care, why higher education is different, drug costs, and changes in consumer behavior. (EV)

Notes that recent studies challenge assumption that Medicaid requires impoverishment; although two-thirds of elderly poor are not covered by Medicaid, many nursing home Medicaid recipients retain sizeable assets. Asserts that magnitude of asset spenddown is much smaller than previously believed. Discusses these findings and explores their…

Investigated differences in use of and expenditures for children's health services across stages of family life cycle and how family characteristics affected medical care use and expenditures for children differently, depending on family life cycle stage. Found variation across family life cycle stages in terms of children's mean number of…

Of 189 nursing homes, 83 percent reported that Medicare's hospital Prospective Payment System (PPS) affected patient needs, 53 percent said it affected patients and services provided, and 25 percent said it affected referrals to hospitals. PPS effects depended on facility factors of size, Medicare certification, tax status, and on local market…

Examined joint effects of benefit coverage and costs borne by employees on multiple dimensions of compensation satisfaction among 2,925 highway patrol, state police, and department of public safety employees in eight states. Found that satisfaction with benefits increased with improved coverage and decreased with higher employee costs. Employees…

Used data from 1982 and 1984 National Long-Term Care Surveys to track cohort of disabled elderly persons residing in community in 1982 over the two years that followed. In contrast to persons who did not use nursing homes, persons who entered nursing homes had a four- to five-fold risk of spending down to Medicaid eligibility. (Author/NB)

Takes three presentations from American Public Health Association meeting as point of departure from which to consider how health maintenance organizations (HMOs) organize and deliver mental health services to members. Recommends that HMOs work toward parity in coverage of mental and medical conditions, just as they do not discriminate in coverage…

Because of longer life expectancies and individually managed supplements to monthly pension checks, planning at retirement is becoming as important as planning for retirement. This article provides advice for retiring administrators concerning personal budgeting, setting goals, estate and tax planning, choosing medical coverage, converting assets,…