Linear and non-linear models for national health expenditures in the USA

2018 ◽  
Vol 102 (554) ◽  
pp. 193-197
Author(s):  
Allan J. Kroopnick

In this brief Article, using the elementary theory of differential equations as well as some basic economic theory, we will develop several estimates for national health expenditures for the United States: one using a linear model and three using non-linear models. We will derive the nonlinear models first and then compare them to the linear one in order to see if they differ significantly. While these estimates are for the United States, the methods used here, because they are robust, could be used for any country. Statistical information may be obtained from the World Bank databases which store health statistics by country [1].What we will do here is estimate the total health costs as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) if no further copayments are required. In other words, we are seeking to estimate the total cost of health care as a percentage of GDP when all health care costs are covered by insurance and government subsidy. Several models will be discussed here since such estimates may be made using a variety of assumptions. There is no ‘best’ model, although such a decision is possible when comparing the estimates to actual data.

1988 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicente Navarro

This article provides empirical information that questions some of the major arguments put forward against the establishment of a comprehensive and universal health program in the United States. The positions that (1) “Americans do not want a further expansion of government roles in their lives,” (2) “a National Health Program would further increase the rate of growth of health expenditures,” (3) “the federal deficit is too large and needs to be reduced before establishing a National Health Program,” and (4) “people do not want to pay higher taxes,” are shown to be ideological rather than scientific. The author presents evidence that questions each of these assumptions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Marcozzi ◽  
Brendan Carr ◽  
Aisha Liferidge ◽  
Nicole Baehr ◽  
Brian Browne

Traditional approaches to assessing the health of populations focus on the use of primary care and the delivery of care through patient-centered homes, managed care resources, and accountable care organizations. The use of emergency departments (EDs) has largely not been given consideration in these models. Our study aimed to determine the contribution of EDs to the health care received by Americans between 1996 and 2010 and to compare it with the contribution of outpatient and inpatient services using National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Discharge Survey databases. We found that EDs contributed an average of 47.7% of the hospital-associated medical care delivered in the United States, and this percentage increased steadily over the 14-year study period. EDs are a major source of medical care in the United States, especially for vulnerable populations, and this contribution increased throughout the study period. Including emergency care within health reform and population health efforts would prove valuable to supporting the health of the nation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (6) ◽  
pp. 815-822 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary K. Wolfe ◽  
Noreen C. McDonald ◽  
G. Mark Holmes

Objectives. To quantify the number of people in the US who delay medical care annually because of lack of available transportation and to examine the differential prevalence of this barrier for adults across sociodemographic characteristics and patient populations. Methods. We used data from the National Health Interview Survey (1997–2017) to examine this barrier over time and across groups. We used joinpoint regression analysis to identify significant changes in trends and multivariate analysis to examine correlates of this barrier for the year 2017. Results. In 2017, 5.8 million persons in the United States (1.8%) delayed medical care because they did not have transportation. The proportion reporting transportation barriers increased between 2003 and 2009 with no significant trends before or after this window within our study period. We found that Hispanic people, those living below the poverty threshold, Medicaid recipients, and people with a functional limitation had greater odds of reporting a transportation barrier after we controlled for other sociodemographic and health characteristics. Conclusions. Transportation barriers to health care have a disproportionate impact on individuals who are poor and who have chronic conditions. Our study documents a significant problem in access to health care during a time of rapidly changing transportation technology.


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