Examines how health care reform might be structured to provide support for a package of primary care services for children of all socioeconomic strata. An insurance-like financing system, such as the special Medicaid payment system adopted by New York State for public and nonprofit primary health care programs, may be useful as a model for a…

Discusses the implications of the Medicare program's rate setting system on health care reform and considers whether such a procedure could be applied to a health insurance system that included children. Examines desirable characteristics of a provider payment system, special health needs of children, and hospital and physician payment issues.…

Examines the claimed advantages and potential disadvantages of managed care plans for children and pregnant women. Although available research does not support most claims that such plans reduce costs and improve care, managed care plans are growing and changing rapidly. Therefore, past experience with managed care may not be a good guide to…

Discusses the advantages and disadvantages of an employer-based health insurance system and the effects of such a system on children. Examines employer decisions regarding coverage, financial limitations, insurer and health plan practices that affect the availability and continuity of coverage, and several new models for providing health insurance…

This article reviews court litigation to prevent school systems from drawing on a family's health insurance or other family resources to pay for required educational benefits such as physical and occupational therapy. Parents are encouraged to withhold insurance information from schools and get help from advocacy organizations. (DB)

Recent developments have led agencies serving young children with disabilities to obtain third-party reimbursement (Medicaid, private insurance, etc.) for services. An examination of the legal and policy implications of increased third-party billing reveals serious drawbacks including loss of confidentiality, burdens on informed consent, hidden…

Data were collected retrospectively from insurance information forms and histories of 111 patients (ages 14-84) referred to physical therapy for evaluation of back and/or neck pain. Analysis indicated that patients with compensable (work-related or motor vehicle accident) injuries infrequently acknowledged prior episodes of back or neck pain. (JDD)

This article explains why college faculty benefit by taking large portions of their compensation in fringe benefits, presents data showing trends in the provision of fringe benefits to college and university employees, and suggests that academic supply and demand conditions during the 1990s may lead to resumption of the upward trend in…

Discusses the impact of health care reform on child-care centers and child-care employees. Topics covered include requirements to provide health insurance for all employees; subsidies for businesses with fewer than 50 employees; subsidies for low income employees; family coverage; health are costs for 2 working parents; and costs to day-care…

Information available so far indicates that children in managed care arrangements are less likely to be seen by pediatric specialists and that families and providers are less satisfied under managed care. In spite of these drawbacks, the managed care approach, modified appropriately, offers new opportunities to provide high-quality medical care…

This article addresses the efforts of school districts to use private health insurance or Medicaid to subsidize special education services. It notes that such efforts have been generally unsuccessful, time-consuming, and costly. A legal explanation of the reasons for such failures is provided. (Author/DB)

Using prospective cohort data from the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, this study examines the extent to which health insurance coverage and the source of that coverage affect adult health. While previous research has shown that privately insured nonelderly individuals enjoy better health outcomes than their uninsured counterparts, the…

A study of the effect of state and federal welfare reforms over the period 1990-2000 on health insurance coverage and healthcare utilization by single women aged between 20-45 is presented. It is observed that Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 which replaced the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program of 1990s with…

American Indians residing on-reservation were interviewed regarding their substance use and treatment utilization. One-third had a current substance abuse problem. Predictors included gender, tribe, age, employment status, household income, and educational attainment. Almost two-thirds of those with substance abuse problems had received no…

Context: Evidence exists for differences in health insurance coverage among states, but less is known about variations across different kinds of communities within states. Purpose: This article assesses the role of residential setting (metropolitan county, rural adjacent, and rural nonadjacent) in health insurance coverage for adult residents,…