Research Roundup: Short-Term Insurance Plans; Antibiotics; And The Individual Market
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Commonwealth Fund:
States Step Up To Protect Consumers From Short-Term Health Plans
States took steps in 2018 to ban or limit short-term plans and to increase the value of these products. State action aimed to protect consumers from products offering inadequate coverage and misinformation while safeguarding the individual health insurance market. New laws were passed with bipartisan backing and with support from consumer and patient advocates and health insurers. (Palanker, Kona and Curran, 5/2)
Pediatrics:
Antibiotic Prescribing During Pediatric Direct-To-Consumer Telemedicine Visits
Use of commercial direct-to-consumer (DTC) telemedicine outside of the pediatric medical home is increasing among children, and acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are the most commonly diagnosed condition at DTC telemedicine visits. Our objective was to compare the quality of antibiotic prescribing for ARIs among children across 3 settings: DTC telemedicine, urgent care, and the primary care provider (PCP) office. (Ray, 5/1)
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation:
Individual Insurance Market Performance In 2018
The early years of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges and broader ACA-compliant individual market were marked by volatility. Markets in some parts of the country have remained fragile, with little competition, an insufficient number of healthy enrollees to balance those who are sick, and high premiums as a result. By 2017, however, the individual market generally had begun to stabilize. Absent any policy changes, it is likely insurers would have required only modest premium increases to regain or maintain profitability in 2018. (Cox, Fehr and Levitt, 5/7)
JAMA Internal Medicine:
Assessment Of Job Satisfaction And Feeling Valued In Academic Medicine
Mounting evidence suggests that faculty in medicine are increasingly unhappy, dissatisfied, and burned out. Although purported to be a national crisis, the actual understanding of the origins, consequences, and effective approaches to prevent and treat burnout remains limited. Academic medical centers have a tripartite mission to provide high-quality clinical care, to advance knowledge through research, and to train the next generation of health care professionals, each in the context of increased financial pressures and administrative burdens. Comprehending what factors are associated with satisfaction at work in academic health care centers is an important step toward addressing faculty burnout. (Simpkin et al, 5/6)
Pediatrics:
Sleep-Related Infant Suffocation Deaths Attributable To Soft Bedding, Overlay, And Wedging
Safe sleep environments can reduce infant suffocation deaths. Increased knowledge about the characteristics of suffocation deaths can help inform prevention strategies by targeting highest-risk groups. (Lambert et al, 5/1)
