Health Economics and Insurance

 
 
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How does US health insurance work?

Check out this easy-to-understand cartoon from the Kaiser Family Foundation, "Health Insurance Explained -- The YouToons Have It Covered." (2) - (5m 24s)

How transparent are US health care costs today? 

Check out Jeanne Pinder's TED Talk, "What if all US health care costs were transparent?" (3) - (7m 05s)

This is their organization's website.

Could life-saving treatments bankrupt a patient in need?

 Listen to this NPR Podcast, "First Came Kidney Failure. Then There Was The $540,842 Bill for Dialysis." (4) - (6m 43s)

How can physicians use private practice to help the poorest patients?

Check out Dr. P.J. Parmar's TEDx Talk, "How doctors can help low-income patients (and still make a profit)." (5) - (10m 21s)

How is this relevant to Washington Heights?

Did you know that prior to Medicaid Expansion under the ACA, the NYC Community Health Profile reported that 22% of Washington Heights and Inwood residents had no health insurance? That's greater than one in five community members. It also showed that 16% of residents went without necessary medical care, which was the fourth-highest rate of any area in the boroughs. (6) 

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If I am interested in this topic, where can I learn more?

Check out our module on Health Systems.

Read the NY Times article, "Employer Health Insurance Is Increasingly Unaffordable, Study Finds" (8) 

This essay shows how rising deductibles and premiums have surpassed worker earnings, leaving millions of Americans priced out of coverage.  

Listen to this Vox podcast, "The curious case of a $629 Band-Aid" (9) - (25m)

This recording gives an informative and entertaining perspective on health economics and policy in the US today. 

Check out the NPR essay, "Federal Judge Again Blocks States' Work Requirements for Medicaid" (10)

This piece describes the controversy surrounding recent work requirements for Medicaid recipients, the history and legal battles surrounding it. 

Read the Vox piece, "These Brits literally cannot believe how much US health care costs." (11)

This article details health care expenditure in contrast to quality and access between the US and other wealthy countries. It has some terrific graphs and tables!

Check out the America Dissected podcast “Pharmaggeddon” (12) - (29min)

This podcast outlines how prescription drug prices can be driven to astronomical levels through the example of hepatitis C treatment.

Check out this teaching series from Khan Academy and the Brookings Institution on the U.S. health care system, and how money flows through it. (13)

Introduction to the health care system (11m 07s)

Medicare (14m 23s)

Medicaid (14m 07s)

U.S. uninsured population (11m 23s)

Paying for medicines: copays and deductibles (5m 58s)

Paying for medicines: tiering and formularies (13m 42s)

Understanding your medical bill (12m 19s)

Health care costs (16m 36s)

Private health insurance (12m 57s)

Health care for the chronically ill (12m 26s)

 
 

Sources     

1.  Arthritis Foundation. Understanding Health Coverage. Retrieved Dec. 12, 2019 from: https://www.arthritis.org/toolkits/arthritis-coverage-claims/health-coverage-options/commercial-employer-plans.php

2.     Kaiser Family Foundation. Health Insurance Explained -- The YouToons Have It Covered. Retrieved Dec. 10, 2019 from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-58VD3z7ZiQ

3.     Pinder J. What if all US health care costs were transparent? Retrieved Dec. 10, 2019 from: https://www.ted.com/talks/jeanne_pinder_what_if_all_us_health_care_costs_were_transparent?language=en

4.     Gold J. First Came Kidney Failure. Then There Was The $540,842 Bill for Dialysis. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2019 from: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/07/22/743180947/first-came-kidney-failure-then-there-was-the-540-842-bill-for-dialysis

5.     Parmar PJ. How doctors can help low-income patients (and still make a profit). Retrieved Dec. 12, 2019 from: https://www.ted.com/talks/p_j_parmar_how_doctors_can_help_low_income_patients_and_still_make_a_profit

6.     NYC Community Health Profiles 2019. Manhattan Community District 12: Washington Heights and Inwood. Retrieved Dec. 02, 2019 from: https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/data/2015chp-mn12.pdf

7.     Oritz-Ospina E, Roser M. Financing Healthcare. Retrieved Dec. 15, 2019 from: https://ourworldindata.org/financing-healthcare

8.     McCormick J. Employer Health Insurance Is Increasingly Unaffordable, Study Finds. (2019, Sept 30). Retrieved Dec. 11, 2019 from: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/25/health/employer-health-insurance-cost.html

9.     Raphael TJ. The curious case of a $629 Band-Aid (2017, Oct. 16). Retrived Dec. 15, 2019 from: https://www.vox.com/the-impact

10.  Galewitz P. Federal Judge Again Blocks States' Work Requirements for Medicaid. (2019, March 27). Retrieved Dec. 12, 2019 from: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/03/27/707401647/federal-judge-again-blocks-states-work-requirements-for-medicaid

11.  Scott D. These Brits literally cannot believe how much US health care costs. (2019, Dec. 05) Retrieved Dec. 07, 2019 from: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/12/5/20996894/us-health-care-costs-trump-nhs

12.  Pharmageddon. Retrieved from https://crooked.com/podcast/pharmageddon/

13. Khan Academy, Brookings Institution. Partner Content. Retrieved Dec. 23, 2019 from: https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/brookings-institution