besides theoretical enthusiasm and knowledge-driven curiosity, there is no doubt that the growth in health and medical expenses during the last three decades and that this growth has exceeded the economic growth rate of every country in the world. in fact, these have been the major factors pushing the health economy and its’ affiliated disciplines. health care expenses are increasingly growing ...

This article holistically maps the consumption patterns of older Americans and compares the economic status of different groups (clusters) of elderly U.S. consumers. Using data from the 2010–2011 Consumer Expenditure Survey, the analysis focuses on the consumption patterns of households whose heads or spouses were age 65 and over. Our factor and cluster analyses revealed six consumption cluster...

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Service projects that by the year 2011 the total healthcare expenditure would reach $2.8 trillion and would amount to 17% of the GDP. Several surveys in the past equivocally agree that the population of the world is aging and this is resulting in increased healthcare utilization/expenses. The current research evaluates ubiquitous healthcare as a strategy tha...

Total spending on drugs in Canada was forecasted, by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), to have reached $26.9 billion in 2007, an increase of 7.2% over the previous year 1 . Drug expenses were forecasted to represent 16.8% of total healthcare spending in 2007. Drug expenditure growth was lower in 2007 than the 11% increase reported in 2005 and the 9.1% increase in 2003. CIHI ...

Situations of medical error and defensive medicine are common in healthcare environments and have repercussions in the quality of care under offer. The occurrence of adverse events and the increase of healthcare expenses are some of the consequences of medical malpractice. Indeed, these situations may be prevented by encouraging the compliance with Clinical Guidelines (CGs). However, the curren...

This article holistically maps the consumption patterns of older Americans and compares the economic status of different groups (clusters) of elderly U.S. consumers. Using data from the 2010–2011 Consumer Expenditure Survey, the analysis focuses on the consumption patterns of households whose heads or spouses were age 65 and over. Our factor and cluster analyses revealed six consumption cluster...

When settling healthcare bills, the Old Order Amish of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania rely on an ethos of mutual aid, independent of the government. Consonant with this philosophy, many Amish do not participate in or receive benefits from Social Security or Medicare. They are also exempted from the Affordable Care Act of 2010. This study expands the limited documentation of Amish Hospital Aid, ...

It is estimated that between $600 and $850 billion annually is lost to fraud, waste, and abuse in the US healthcare system, with $125 to $175 billion of this due to fraudulent activity (Kelley 2009). Medicaid, a state-run, federally-matched government program which accounts for roughly one-quarter of all healthcare expenses in the US, has been particularly susceptible targets for fraud in recen...

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is associated with elevated financial costs, including out-of-pocket (OOP) expenses. Yet, the full burden of OOP expenses in children AD poorly understood. We characterized categories, impact, and associations healthcare US children. An online survey was administered to National Eczema Association members (N=113,502). Inclusion criteria (US resident; respondent age ≥18; s...

Out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures for healthcare continue to be the most significant means of healthcare issue in the developing world and constitute a large share of their living financial plan (1, 2). The healthcare expenditures are largely unpredictable and usually have a negative impact on the poor households, while large expenditures have catastrophic impacts on household welfare. A sudden ...