Protein import to the nucleus is a signal-mediated process that exhibits saturation kinetics. We investigated whether signal bearing proteins compete with U2 and U6 snRNPs during import. When injected into Xenopus oocytes, saturating concentrations of P(Lys)-BSA, a protein bearing multiple nuclear localization signals from SV40 large T-antigen, reduce the rate of [125I]P(Lys)-BSA and of [125I]n...

The assembly of eukaryotic ribosomal subunits takes place in the nucleolus and requires nuclear import of ribosomal proteins. We have studied this import in a mammalian system and found that the classical nuclear import pathway using the importin alpha/beta heterodimer apparently plays only a minor role. Instead, at least four importin beta-like transport receptors, namely importin beta itself,...

Key Data Findings. (1) The average rural Medicare Advantage (MA) plan enrollee in 2012 experienced a quality rating of 3.60 stars (of a potential 5.0), compared with a rating of 3.71 stars experienced by urban enrollees. (2) The measured rural-urban difference in the MA plan quality is a result of the difference in the composition of the enrollment and plan availability in MA markets, rather th...

Enrollment of rural beneficiaries into Medicare Advantage (MA) plans has more than quadrupled since the inception of the MA program at the beginning of 2006 and increased 35% in the last year. However, as a percent of all beneficiaries, the enrollment rate in rural areas (11.8%) remains well below the national enrollment rate (21.8%) (Tables 1 and 2). The tremendous growth in rural MA plans ove...

The creators of the Medicare Advantage (MA) program envisioned that seniors would opt out of fee-for-service Medicare to take advantage of the lower premiums, lower cost-sharing, and additional benefits available in private plans. Earlier research, however, indicates that out-of-pocket costs for MA enrollees vary widely by health status and plan benefit package. This issue brief examines out-of...

We compare healthcare spending in public and private Medicare using newly available claims data from Medicare Advantage (MA) insurers. MA insurer revenues are 30 percent higher than their healthcare spending. Healthcare spending is 25 percent lower for MA enrollees than for enrollees in traditional Medicare (TM) in the same county with the same risk score. Spending differences between MA and TM...

UNLABELLED Enrollment in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans has more than tripled since the inception of the MA program at the beginning of 2006. However, rural enrollment remains well below urban enrollment as a percentage of the eligible population. This policy brief provides findings about enrollment in the newly designed MA program in rural and urban areas across the United States and updates ea...

OBJECTIVE To assess relationships between changes in Medicare Advantage (MA) payment rates and Medicare beneficiary hospitalizations and to simulate the effects of scheduled payment cuts on ambulatory care sensitive (ACS) and elective hospitalization rates. DATA State Inpatient Database discharge abstracts from Arizona, Florida, and New York merged with administrative Medicare enrollment and ...

We compared racial disparities in thirty-day readmissions between traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries who underwent one of six major surgeries in New York State in 2013. We found that Medicare Advantage was associated with greater racial disparity, compared to traditional Medicare. After controlling for patient, hospital, and geographic characteristics in a propensity scor...

Bidding has been proposed to replace or complement the administered prices that Medicare pays to hospitals and health plans. In 2006, the Medicare Advantage program implemented a competitive bidding system to determine plan payments. In perfectly competitive models, plans bid their costs and thus bids are insensitive to the benchmark. Under many other models of competition, bids respond to chan...