BACKGROUND Medicare Part D, introduced in January 2006, was intended to decrease beneficiaries' out-of-pocket expenditures on medications. METHODS We examined whether this policy was successful in achieving this goal, including effects on Medicare beneficiaries without previous drug coverage and those who previously received coverage through Medicaid, in a longitudinal study of out-of-pocket ...

complementary and alternative medicine (cam) is frequently used in portugal and it contributes to the improvement of people’s health. cam and western medicine (wm) are taken as complements both in the diagnosis and the treatment stage. the portuguese health system is able to generate certified cam professionals but the provision of cam care and services is not included in the national health sy...

Aim/purpose – The aim of this study was to estimate the effect health insurance on Out-of-Pocket (OOP) care expenditure in Kenya. It is informed by persistence challenges access and utilization quality affordable services. Previously, researchers have estimated effects different forms fi- nancing its demand shown that affordability not only enhances use services but also cushions people against...

BACKGROUND Studies indicate a relationship between cost and quality of life (QOL) in diabetes care, however, the interaction is complex and the relationship is not well understood. The aim of this study was to 1) examine the relationship of quartiles of QOL on cost amongst U.S. adults with diabetes, 2) investigate how the relationship may change over time, and 3) examine the incremental effect ...

Health care finance in developing and low income countries is still predominantly based on out-of-pocket (OOP) payments, and the lack of prepayment mechanisms like insurance. In the absence of insurance, an illness not only reduces welfare directly, it also increases the risk of impoverishment due to high treatment expenditures. It is now widely acknowledged that health care expenditures can dr...

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is frequently used in Portugal and it contributes to the improvement of people’s health. CAM and Western Medicine (WM) are taken as complements both in the diagnosis and the treatment stage. The Portuguese health system is able to generate certified CAM professionals but the provision of CAM care and services is not included in the national health sy...

Most countries are using some kinds of pharmaceutical policies, like external reference-based pricing, to control the costs of medicines. This policy could be implemented in different ways and there is no systematic method for selecting reference countries. In this study, we tried to identify and classify the factors affecting the selection of reference countries in Iran. Delphi method was empl...