Author: William E. SchlengerPublisher:
ISBN:
Category : Aged
Languages : en
Pages : 42
Book Description
Access to Health Care Among Aged Medicare Beneficiaries
Author: William E. SchlengerPublisher:
ISBN:
Category : Aged
Languages : en
Pages : 42
Book Description
Retooling for an Aging America
Author: Institute of MedicinePublisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309131952
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 316
Book Description
As the first of the nation's 78 million baby boomers begin reaching age 65 in 2011, they will face a health care workforce that is too small and woefully unprepared to meet their specific health needs. Retooling for an Aging America calls for bold initiatives starting immediately to train all health care providers in the basics of geriatric care and to prepare family members and other informal caregivers, who currently receive little or no training in how to tend to their aging loved ones. The book also recommends that Medicare, Medicaid, and other health plans pay higher rates to boost recruitment and retention of geriatric specialists and care aides. Educators and health professional groups can use Retooling for an Aging America to institute or increase formal education and training in geriatrics. Consumer groups can use the book to advocate for improving the care for older adults. Health care professional and occupational groups can use it to improve the quality of health care jobs.
Improving the Medicare Market
Author: Institute of MedicinePublisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309175364
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 384
Book Description
Medicare beneficiaries are rapidly moving into managed care, as attempts to restrain the growth of this costly entitlement program progress. However, advocates for patients question whether the necessary information and structures are in place to enable Medicare consumers to select wisely among private-sector managed care options. Improving the Medicare Market examines how to give Medicare beneficiaries the same choice of health plan options enjoyed in the private sectorâ€"yet protect them as consumers and patients. This book recommends approaches to ensuring accountability and informed purchasing for Medicare beneficiaries in an environment of broader choice and managed careâ€"how the government should evaluate and approve plans, what role the traditional Medicare program should play, how to help to elderly understand their options, and many other practical matters. The committee discusses the information requirements of Medicare beneficiaries and explores in detail how best to respond to their special needs. And it examines the procedures that should be developed to provide the necessary protections for the elderly in a managed care system.
Understanding Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health in Late Life
Author: National Research CouncilPublisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309165865
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 184
Book Description
As the population of older Americans grows, it is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. Differences in health by racial and ethnic status could be increasingly consequential for health policy and programs. Such differences are not simply a matter of education or ability to pay for health care. For instance, Asian Americans and Hispanics appear to be in better health, on a number of indicators, than White Americans, despite, on average, lower socioeconomic status. The reasons are complex, including possible roles for such factors as selective migration, risk behaviors, exposure to various stressors, patient attitudes, and geographic variation in health care. This volume, produced by a multidisciplinary panel, considers such possible explanations for racial and ethnic health differentials within an integrated framework. It provides a concise summary of available research and lays out a research agenda to address the many uncertainties in current knowledge. It recommends, for instance, looking at health differentials across the life course and deciphering the links between factors presumably producing differentials and biopsychosocial mechanisms that lead to impaired health.
Families Caring for an Aging America
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and MedicinePublisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309448093
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 367
Book Description
Family caregiving affects millions of Americans every day, in all walks of life. At least 17.7 million individuals in the United States are caregivers of an older adult with a health or functional limitation. The nation's family caregivers provide the lion's share of long-term care for our older adult population. They are also central to older adults' access to and receipt of health care and community-based social services. Yet the need to recognize and support caregivers is among the least appreciated challenges facing the aging U.S. population. Families Caring for an Aging America examines the prevalence and nature of family caregiving of older adults and the available evidence on the effectiveness of programs, supports, and other interventions designed to support family caregivers. This report also assesses and recommends policies to address the needs of family caregivers and to minimize the barriers that they encounter in trying to meet the needs of older adults.
Care Without Coverage
Author: Institute of MedicinePublisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309083435
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 213
Book Description
Many Americans believe that people who lack health insurance somehow get the care they really need. Care Without Coverage examines the real consequences for adults who lack health insurance. The study presents findings in the areas of prevention and screening, cancer, chronic illness, hospital-based care, and general health status. The committee looked at the consequences of being uninsured for people suffering from cancer, diabetes, HIV infection and AIDS, heart and kidney disease, mental illness, traumatic injuries, and heart attacks. It focused on the roughly 30 million-one in seven-working-age Americans without health insurance. This group does not include the population over 65 that is covered by Medicare or the nearly 10 million children who are uninsured in this country. The main findings of the report are that working-age Americans without health insurance are more likely to receive too little medical care and receive it too late; be sicker and die sooner; and receive poorer care when they are in the hospital, even for acute situations like a motor vehicle crash.
The Future of Disability in America
Author: Institute of MedicinePublisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309104726
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 619
Book Description
The future of disability in America will depend on how well the U.S. prepares for and manages the demographic, fiscal, and technological developments that will unfold during the next two to three decades. Building upon two prior studies from the Institute of Medicine (the 1991 Institute of Medicine's report Disability in America and the 1997 report Enabling America), The Future of Disability in America examines both progress and concerns about continuing barriers that limit the independence, productivity, and participation in community life of people with disabilities. This book offers a comprehensive look at a wide range of issues, including the prevalence of disability across the lifespan; disability trends the role of assistive technology; barriers posed by health care and other facilities with inaccessible buildings, equipment, and information formats; the needs of young people moving from pediatric to adult health care and of adults experiencing premature aging and secondary health problems; selected issues in health care financing (e.g., risk adjusting payments to health plans, coverage of assistive technology); and the organizing and financing of disability-related research. The Future of Disability in America is an assessment of both principles and scientific evidence for disability policies and services. This book's recommendations propose steps to eliminate barriers and strengthen the evidence base for future public and private actions to reduce the impact of disability on individuals, families, and society.
Health-Care Utilization as a Proxy in Disability Determination
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and MedicinePublisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 030946918X
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 161
Book Description
The Social Security Administration (SSA) administers two programs that provide benefits based on disability: the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. This report analyzes health care utilizations as they relate to impairment severity and SSA's definition of disability. Health Care Utilization as a Proxy in Disability Determination identifies types of utilizations that might be good proxies for "listing-level" severity; that is, what represents an impairment, or combination of impairments, that are severe enough to prevent a person from doing any gainful activity, regardless of age, education, or work experience.
Aging in Rural America
Author: United States. Congress. Senate. Special Committee on AgingPublisher:
ISBN:
Category : Federal aid to rural health services
Languages : en
Pages : 108
Book Description
Health Care Barriers Access Among Medicare Beneficiaries
Author: Linda Buggs-KnightPublisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 140
Book Description
Medicare is a health insurance program signed into law in 1965 under the Social Security Act, providing universal medical coverage for people age 65 and over or with disabilities. It has been 75 years since the signing of Social Security Act and 45 years since Medicare became law. Since its inception there have been many changes to the program and beneficiaries face barriers in accessing Medicare services. There has been little research on knowledge of Medicare policy rules and procedures or reasons for the limited knowledge of the Medicare program. Health literacy, language and unfamiliarity with technology have been identified as obstacles accessing Medicare coverage. The purpose of this study is to examine Medicare beneficiaries' level of understanding about the Medicare program. Thirty individuals who are currently enrolled in the Medicare program participated in the study. The participants completed a 30 question survey designed to test their knowledge of the Medicare program and Medicare services. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze survey results. The findings indicated that 10% understood the Medicare program while the other 90% thought they understood the Medicare program. However after administrating a quiz on the Medicare parts A, B, C and D, results showed they were not knowledgeable about the Medicare program. None of the socio demographic variables were found to be associated with knowledge of Medicare. The implications of the study were discussed and future recommendations for social work and social policy were provided.