scholarly journals What Explains Education Disparities in Screening Mammography in the United States? A Comparison with The Netherlands

Author(s):  
Hale Koç ◽  
Owen O’Donnell ◽  
Tom Van Ourti

Background: In the U.S., less educated women are substantially less likely to receive screening mammography. It is not clear whether this is due to differences in access to screening or in perceptions of breast cancer risks and the effectiveness of screening. We weigh the plausibility of these two explanations by examining how the dependence of mammography on education changes after conditioning on indicators of access and perceptions. We also compare estimates for the U.S. with those for the Netherlands where there is universal access to a publicly financed screening program. Method: Cross-sectional and cross-country comparable individual level data from the American Life Panel (n = 646) and the Netherlands Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences (n = 1398) were used to estimate and explain education disparities in screening mammograms given to American and Dutch women aged 40+. The education gradient was estimated using logit models. Controls were sequentially added to detect whether disparities were explained by differences in access or perceptions of risks and effectiveness. Results: In the United States, high school graduates were 11.5 percentage points (95% CI: 1–22 percentage points) less likely than college graduates to receive a screening mammogram in the previous two years. This education gradient was largely explained by differences in income, insurance coverage and receipt of medical advice. It was not explained by educational differences in the perceived risk of breast cancer and the effectiveness of mammography. There were no education disparities in receipt of mammography among Dutch women within the 50–75 age range covered by the national screening program. Conclusion: In the absence of a universal screening program in the U.S., determinants of access—income, insurance coverage and receipt of medical advice—appear to drive the education disparities in screening mammography.

Pneumonia ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bisma Ali Sayed ◽  
Drew L. Posey ◽  
Brian Maskery ◽  
La’Marcus T. Wingate ◽  
Martin S. Cetron

Abstract Background While persons who receive immigrant and refugee visas are screened for active tuberculosis before admission into the United States, nonimmigrant visa applicants (NIVs) are not routinely screened and may enter the United States with infectious tuberculosis. Objectives We evaluated the costs and benefits of expanding pre-departure tuberculosis screening requirements to a subset of NIVs who arrive from a moderate (Mexico) or high (India) incidence tuberculosis country with temporary work visas. Methods We developed a decision tree model to evaluate the program costs and estimate the numbers of active tuberculosis cases that may be diagnosed in the United States in two scenarios: 1) “Screening”: screening and treatment for tuberculosis among NIVs in their home country with recommended U.S. follow-up for NIVs at elevated risk of active tuberculosis; and, 2) “No Screening” in their home country so that cases would be diagnosed passively and treatment occurs after entry into the United States. Costs were assessed from multiple perspectives, including multinational and U.S.-only perspectives. Results Under “Screening” versus “No Screening”, an estimated 179 active tuberculosis cases and 119 hospitalizations would be averted in the United States annually via predeparture treatment. From the U.S.-only perspective, this program would result in annual net cost savings of about $3.75 million. However, rom the multinational perspective, the screening program would cost $151,388 per U.S. case averted for Indian NIVs and $221,088 per U.S. case averted for Mexican NIVs. Conclusion From the U.S.-only perspective, the screening program would result in substantial cost savings in the form of reduced treatment and hospitalization costs. NIVs would incur increased pre-departure screening and treatment costs.


2021 ◽  
pp. 107755872110158
Author(s):  
Priyanka Anand ◽  
Dora Gicheva

This article examines how the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansions affected the sources of health insurance coverage of undergraduate students in the United States. We show that the Affordable Care Act expansions increased the Medicaid coverage of undergraduate students by 5 to 7 percentage points more in expansion states than in nonexpansion states, resulting in 17% of undergraduate students in expansion states being covered by Medicaid postexpansion (up from 9% prior to the expansion). In contrast, the growth in employer and private direct coverage was 1 to 2 percentage points lower postexpansion for students in expansion states compared with nonexpansion states. Our findings demonstrate that policy efforts to expand Medicaid eligibility have been successful in increasing the Medicaid coverage rates for undergraduate students in the United States, but there is evidence of some crowd out after the expansions—that is, some students substituted their private and employer-sponsored coverage for Medicaid.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jung Bae

AbstractI find that the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which conferred protection from deportation and work authorization to undocumented immigrants who had been brought to the U.S. as children, increased eligible immigrants’ likelihood of having health insurance coverage. Exploiting a cutoff rule in the eligibility criteria of DACA, I implement a difference-in-regression-discontinuities design. The insured rate increased by up to 4.3 percentage points more for DACA-eligible immigrants than for ineligible immigrants following DACA. Two-thirds of this increase is accounted for by upticks in employer-sponsored and privately purchased insurance. The findings are also consistent with immigrants becoming less averse to approach health institutions, and taking up medical financial assistance at a higher rate.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. I-VI
Author(s):  
Maureen Snow Andrade

The United States has the largest market share of international students at 22%, followed by the United Kingdom at 11% (Project Atlas, 2015). The U.S. share has decreased from 28% in 2001 although total numbers ofinternational students are increasing (Project Atlas, 2015). Decreased market share may be due to targeted national strategies in other countries to attract international students. These include immigration policies that not only expedite obtaining a student visa, but provide opportunities to work while studying and permanent jobs and residency after graduation (e.g., Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden) (Lane, 2015). Nations are also actively recruiting, providing databases with comprehensive information about studying in the country, (e.g., the Netherlands), and offering financial incentives (e.g., Germany)(Lane, 2015). In some cases, countries that once sent students to study abroad (United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Malaysia) are now actively recruiting to host students from their regions (Lane, 2015).


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (18) ◽  
pp. 71
Author(s):  
Ana María Zorrilla Noriega

Diverse structural reforms were enacted in Mexico during 2013 and 2014. Since these reforms were made on the constitutional level, they must be translated into specific laws and regulations; and more importantly, they must be implemented in an efficient manner. As Mexico is experiencing this transformation, its relations with United States are also evolving. This transition will probably imply new challenges with regard to different aspects of the bilateral relationship. Considering that the U.S. Congress plays a significant role in shaping those relations, the purpose of this article is to analyze some significant issues that have received or are likely to receive special attention in the U.S. Congress. This article is divided into seven sections. The first one presents an analysis of the complexity of U.S.-Mexico relations. The second part includes an explanation regarding Mexican reforms of 2013 and 2014, as well as the resulted transition in the bilateral relationship. The next four sections address significant pillars of this relationship: security, economy, migration, and energy. Each of these parts comprises a general overview of the U.S.-Mexico relations in that specific matter; a description of the views of the Mexican government and reforms of its constitutional and legal framework; and an analysis of the most relevant legislative actions that have recently taken place or are likely to receive attention in the U.S. Congress. The seventh section addresses other relevant aspects that should be taken into account in the policyand law-making processes.


1989 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 644-648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas B Whitaker ◽  
W J Dickens

Abstract The 1987 United States aflatoxin testing plan for shelled peanuts was designed with a final accept level of 25 parts per billion (ppb) total aflatoxin. Some of the importers of U.S. peanuts use aflatoxin testing plans with accept levels lower than 25 ppb. For example, the accept level of a testing plan used in The Netherlands is 5 ppb Bi or 10 ppb total aflatoxin. Whenever export lots are re-tested for aflatoxin by an importing country, some lots accepted in the United States will be rejected by the importing country's aflatoxin testing plan. Computer models were developed to determine the effects of decreasing the final accept level of the U.S. testing plan on the number of lots accepted and rejected in the United States and the number of exported lots accepted and rejected by The Netherlands testing plan. Decreasing the final accept level of the U.S. testing plan from 25 to 5 ppb increased the number of lots rejected in the United States by 371% while reducing the number of exported lots rejected by 51%. For every additional 8.3 lots rejected in the United States, one less export lot will be rejected.


2019 ◽  
pp. 452-468
Author(s):  
Robert Paul Churchill

The United States is now relying on Reaper and Predator drone strikes as its primary strategy in the continuing War on Terrorism. This paper argues for the rational scrutiny drone warfare has yet to receive. It is argued that drone warfare is immoral as it fails both the jus in bello and the jus ad bellum conditions of Just War theory. Drone warfare cannot be accepted on utilitarian grounds either, as it is very probable that terrorists will acquire drones capable of lethal strikes and deploy them against defenseless civilians. Moreover, by examining the psychological bases for reliance on drone warfare, as well as the message the United States is sending adversaries, we need to be concerned that, rather than reduce the likelihood of terrorists strikes, the U.S. reliance on drones strikes threatens to institutionalize terrorism as the status quo for the foreseeable future.


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 653-683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krishna Regmi

Abstract In this paper, I investigate the effect of extended unemployment insurance (UI) coverage in the United States in recent years on job search. The U.S. government extended UI benefits in several phases in 2008–2009, increasing the duration of the benefits to a maximum of 99 weeks, up from the regular 26 weeks. Using the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) data, I find that women are more sensitive to the extended UI benefits than men. Difference-in-differences estimation shows that the average effect of the UI extensions for women is over a 10 percentage points decline in the probability of job search. However, I do not find any statistically significant effect on men.


2004 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 201-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard Kunreuther ◽  
Erwann Michel-Kerjan

This paper examines the role that insurance has played in dealing with terrorism before and after September 11, 2001, by focusing on the distinctive challenges associated with terrorism as a catastrophic risk. The Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 (TRIA) was passed by the U.S. Congress in November 2002, establishing a national terrorism insurance program that provides up to $100 billion commercial coverage with a specific but temporary risk-sharing arrangement between the federal government and insurers. TRIA's three-year term ends December 31, 2005, so Congress soon has to determine whether it should be renewed, whether an alternative terrorism insurance program should be substituted for it, or whether insurance coverage is left solely in the hands of the private sector. As input into this process, the paper examines several alternatives and scenarios, and discusses their potential to create a sustainable terrorism insurance program in the Unites States.


2004 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia M. Danzon ◽  
Jonathan D. Ketcham

This paper describes three prototypical systems of therapeutic reference pricing (RP) for pharmaceuticals—Germany, the Netherlands, and New Zealand—and examines their effects on the availability of new drugs, reimbursement levels, manufacturer prices, and out-of-pocket surcharges to patients. RPfor pharmaceuticals is not simply analogous to a defined contribution approach to subsidizing insurance coverage. Although a major purpose of RPis to stimulate competition, theory suggests that the achievement of this goal is unlikely, and this is confirmed by the empirical evidence. Other effects of RPdiffer across countries in predictable ways, reflecting each country’s system design and other cost-control policies. New Zealand’s RPsystem has reduced reimbursement and limited the availability of new drugs, particularly more expensive drugs. Compared to these three countries, if RP were applied in the United States, it would likely have a more negative effect on prices of on-patent products because of the more competitive U.S. generic market, and on research and development (R&D) and the future supply of new drugs, because of the much larger U.S. share of global pharmaceutical sales.


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