Research Roundup: Firearm Deaths; Premiums; And Sudden Unexpected Infant Death
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
JAMA Internal Medicine:
State Firearm Laws And Interstate Firearm Deaths From Homicide And Suicide In The United States: A Cross-Sectional Analysis Of Data By County
In this cross-sectional study, strong firearm laws in a state were associated with lower firearm suicide rates and lower overall suicide rates in the state regardless of the strength of the laws in other states. Strong firearm laws in a state were associated with lower rates of firearm homicide. Counties in states with weak laws had lower rates of firearm homicide only when surrounding states had strong laws. (Kaufman, Morrison and Branas, 3/5)
The Commonwealth Fund:
Competition & Premium Costs In Five One-Insurer States
In 2010, the individual insurance market was already concentrated in the five study states, with Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) plans covering the majority of enrollees. By 2015, with the marketplaces in full swing, more issuers were competing in the five states. But by 2016, co-ops were facing bankruptcy and left the marketplaces in these states; and in 2017, citing large financial losses, national issuers UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, and Humana also exited, leaving only a single BCBS plan in each state. Three of the five states experienced substantially higher annual premium increases than the national average. Policy options with bipartisan support, such as resuming cost-sharing reduction payments and reestablishing reinsurance and risk corridors, could help attract new or returning issuers to marketplaces in these states. (Gabel et al, 3/6)
Pediatrics:
National And State Trends In Sudden Unexpected Infant Death: 1990–2015
Sharp declines in sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) in the 1990s and a diagnostic shift from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) to unknown cause and accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed (ASSB) in 1999–2001 have been documented. We examined trends in SUID and SIDS, unknown cause, and ASSB from 1990 to 2015 and compared state-specific SUID rates to identify significant trends that may be used to inform SUID prevention efforts. (Lambert, Parks and Shapiro-Mendoza, 3/1)
Pediatrics:
Prevalence Of Obesity And Severe Obesity In US Children, 1999–2016
White and Asian American children have significantly lower rates of obesity than African American children, Hispanic children, or children of other races. We report a positive linear trend for all definitions of overweight and obesity among children 2–19 years old, most prominently among adolescents. Children aged 2 to 5 years showed a sharp increase in obesity prevalence from 2015 to 2016 compared with the previous cycle. (Skinner et al, 3/1)
JAMA Cardiology:
Association Of Body Mass Index With Lifetime Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease And Compression Of Morbidity
In this population-based study, overweight and obesity were associated with significantly increased risk for CVD. Obesity was associated with shorter longevity and a greater proportion of life lived with CVD; overweight was associated with similar longevity as normal weight but at the expense of a greater proportion of life lived with CVD. (Khan, Ning and Wlkins, 2/28)
