We develop a model where a free genetic test reveals whether the individual tested has a low or high probability of developing a disease. A costly prevention e¤ort allows high-risk agents to decrease the probability of developing the disease. Agents are not obliged to take the test, but must disclose its results to insurers. Insurers o¤er separating contracts which take into account the individ...

The Affordable Care Act's medical loss ratio (MLR) regulation requires insurers to spend 80 percent or 85 percent of premiums on medical claims and quality improvements. In 2011, insurers falling below this minimum paid more than $1 billion in rebates. This brief examines how insurers spend their premium dollars--particularly their investment in quality improvement activities--focusing on diffe...

under the contemporary scenario of global climate change and increasing coastal eutrophication, baseline studies of phytoplankton diversity and distribution in relation to habitat conditions constitute the first approach to evaluate potential shifts at the base of the food webs. here we present data of phytoplankton species composition and environmental variables in winter 2006 in a temperate ...

INTRODUCTION Prophylactic vaccinations play a significant role in health care. As a relatively cost-effective preventive measure they can help to avert transmissible diseases and thus protect not only the vaccinated individuals themselves but also those who have not been vaccinated. In order to achieve this, a high vaccination rate is necessary; for many prophylactic vaccinations this rate is n...

The study aim was to gain a better understanding of the characteristics of informal caregivers who provide transportation assistance and to explore the types and frequency of this assistance. A telephone survey was administered to a representative sample of 268 informal caregivers (age 45-80) who provide transportation assistance to older adults (age 70 and older) in Michigan. Responses were an...

Transversal vibrations of an axially moving string under boundary damping are investigated. Mathematically, it represents a homogenous linear partial differential equation subject to nonhomogeneous boundary conditions. The string is moving with a relatively (low) constant speed, which is considered to be positive.  The string is kept fixed at the first end, while the other end is tied with the ...

Today, nine OECD countries have national terrorism insurance programs based on some type of public-private risk sharing. While such arrangements helped provide the necessary insurance capacity in the post-September 11, 2001 era, little is known about the impact of such governmental intervention in terrorism insurance markets. This paper focuses on the United States, where the Terrorism Risk Ins...