Difficulty In Access To Outpatient Psychiatric Care In Boston Has National Implications
A new study by Harvard Medical School researchers published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine finds that access to outpatient psychiatric care in the greater Boston area is severely limited, even for people with reputedly excellent private health insurance. Given that the federal health law is modeled after the Massachusetts health reform, the findings have national implications, the researchers say. Study personnel posed as patients insured by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts PPO, the largest insurer in Massachusetts.
Growing Life Expectancy Gap Between Americans And Europeans
Forty years ago, Americans could expect to live slightly longer than Europeans. This has since reversed: in spite of similar levels of economic development, Americans now live about a year-and-a-half less, on average, than their Western European counterparts, and also less than people in most other developed nations. How did Americans fall behind? A study in the July 2011 issue of Social Science & Medicine is the first to calculate the fiscal consequences of the growing life expectancy gap over the next few decades.
Access Equals Demand; Health Costs Will Be Up 6 A Year Next Decade
Healthcare for all may be a good thing, but spending on staying sound will grow almost 6% each year through 2020 according to experts. Researchers estimate that doctor visits, clinical services and prescription drugs will be some of the largest growth areas, because of the comparably young age of the newly insured population. The increase is partly due to a percentage of the 30 million people gaining health insurance through President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul joining government programs.