scholarly journals Universal Health Insurance and Equity in Primary Care and Specialist Office Visits: A Population-Based Study

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 396-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. H. Glazier ◽  
M. M. Agha ◽  
R. Moineddin ◽  
L. M. Sibley
BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. e042084
Author(s):  
I-Anne Huang ◽  
Yiing-Jenq Chou ◽  
I-Jun Chou ◽  
Yu-Tung Huang ◽  
Jhen-Ling Huang ◽  
...  

ObjectivesEmergency services utilisation is a critical policy concern. The paediatric population is the main user of emergency department (ED) services, and the main contributor to low acuity (LA) ED visits. We aimed to describe the trends of ED and LA ED visits under a comprehensive, universal health insurance programme in Taiwan, and to explore factors associating with potentially unnecessary ED utilisation.Design and settingWe used a population-based, repeated cross-sectional design to analyse the full year of 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015 National Health Insurance claims data individually for individuals aged 18 years and under.ParticipantsWe identified 5 538 197, 4 818 213, 4 401 677 and 3 841 174 children in 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015, respectively.Primary and secondary outcome measuresWe adopted a diagnosis grouping system and severity classification system to define LA paediatric ED (PED) visits. Generalised estimating equation was applied to identify factors associated with LA PED visits.ResultsThe annual LA PED visits per 100 paediatric population decreased from 10.32 in 2000 to 9.04 in 2015 (12.40%). Infectious ears, nose and throat, dental and mouth diseases persistently ranked as the top reasons for LA visits (55.31% in 2000 vs 33.94% in 2015). Physical trauma-related LA PED visits increased most rapidly between 2000 and 2015 (0.91–2.56 visits per 100 population). The dose–response patterns were observed between the likelihood of incurring LA PED visit and either child’s age (OR 1.06–1.35 as age groups increase, p<0.0001) or family socioeconomic status (OR 1.02–1.21 as family income levels decrease, p<0.05).ConclusionDespite a comprehensive coverage of emergency care and low cost-sharing obligations under a single-payer universal health insurance programme in Taiwan, no significant increase in PED utilisation for LA conditions was observed between 2000 and 2015. Taiwan’s experience may serve as an important reference for countries considering healthcare system reforms.


Addiction ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 108 (12) ◽  
pp. 2183-2192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjolein E. A. Verbiest ◽  
Niels H. Chavannes ◽  
Mathilde R. Crone ◽  
Mark M. J. Nielen ◽  
Dewi Segaar ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Idris Guessous ◽  
Jean-Christophe Luthi ◽  
Christopher Barrett Bowling ◽  
Jean-Marc Theler ◽  
Fred Paccaud ◽  
...  

Frailty prevalence in older adults has been reported but is largely unknown in middle-aged adults. We determined the prevalence of frailty indicators among middle-aged and older adults from a general Swiss population characterized by universal health insurance coverage and assessed the determinants of frailty with a special focus on socioeconomic status. Participants aged 50 and more from the population-based 2006–2010 Bus Santé study were included (N= 2,930). Four frailty indicators (weakness, shrinking, exhaustion, and low activity) were measured according to standard definitions. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to determine associations. Overall, 63.5%, 28.7%, and 7.8% participants presented no frailty indicators, one frailty indicator, and two or more frailty indicators, respectively. Among middle-aged participants (50–65 years), 75.1%, 22.2%, and 2.7% presented 0, 1, and 2 or more frailty indicators. The number of frailty indicators was positively associated with age, hypertension, and current smoking and negatively associated with male gender, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, and serum total cholesterol level. Lower income level but not education was associated with higher number of frailty indicators. Frailty indicators are frequently encountered in both older and middle-aged adults from the Swiss general population. Despite universal health insurance coverage, household income is independently associated with frailty.


Author(s):  
Jeonggyo Yoon ◽  
Minsun Kang ◽  
Jaehun Jung ◽  
Min Jae Ju ◽  
Sung Hwan Jeong ◽  
...  

Humidifier disinfectant (HD) is a household biocidal product used in humidifier water tanks to prevent the growth of microorganisms. In 2011, a series of lung injury cases of unknown causes emerged in children and pregnant women who had used HD in Korea. This study investigated changes in the nationwide number of cases of humidifier disinfectant-associated lung injury (HDLI) in concordance with nationwide HD consumption using data covering the entire Korean population. More than 25 kinds of HD products were sold between 1994 and 2011. The number of diagnosed HDLI, assessed by S27.3 (other injuries of lungs) of the Korea National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) data, sharply increased by 2005, subsequently decreased after 2005, and almost disappeared after 2011 in concordance with the annual number of HD sales. The number of self-reported HDLIs, assessed using data from all suspected HDLI cases registered in the Korea Ministry of Environment, changed with the annual number of HD sales, with a delay pattern, potentially induced by the late awareness of lung injury diseases. The present study suggests that changes in the nationwide annual consumption of HD products were consistent with changes in the annual number of HDLI cases in Korea.


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