INTRODUCTION Today, the provision of healthcare should be efficient and equitable to achieve the health system's goals. The aim of this study was to survey equality in healthcare expenditures and its effects on income redistribution. METHODS This study was a descriptive-analysis, cross-sectional study that was conducted with data obtained from the Statistical Center of Iran (SCI) during 2006 ...

Medicare hospital payments are adjusted to reflect variation in hospital wages across geographic areas by grouping hospitals into labor market areas. By only recognizing the average wage in an area, Medicare encourages hospitals to contain costs. Labor market area definitions have recently received renewed attention because of their impact on hospital payments. Alternative labor market areas we...

OBJECTIVE To identify the main drivers of costs of facility delivery and the financial consequences for households among rural women in Tanzania, a country with a policy of delivery fee exemptions. METHODS We selected a representative sample of households in a rural district in western Tanzania. Women who given birth within 5 years were asked about payments for doctor's/nurse's fees, drugs, n...

INTRODUCTION The free maternal health policy was implemented in Ghana in 2008 under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). The policy sought to eliminate out of pocket (OOP) payments and enhance the utilisation of maternal health services. It is unclear whether the policy had altered OOP payments for services. The study explored views on costs and actual OOP payments during pregnancy. The...

Although the primary occupation in the villages of India (Assam) is agriculture, its share is very low and there is high degree of under employment in Agriculture. So the village economy is leaning towards small industries, having backward linkages with urban areas. There is a growing trend of migration of people from the rural areas to the urban areas. Therefore, people with enterprising minds...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine whether multidisciplinary team-based care guided by the chronic care model can reduce medical payments and improve quality for Medicaid enrollees with diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This study was a difference-in-differences analysis comparing Medicaid patients with diabetes who received team-based care versus those who did not. Team...

Throughout the United States, disadvantaged, declining and struggling rural and smaller communities have wrestled with the problem of developing a sustainable base for economic activity. In North Carolina, for example, although statewide unemployment for the end of 2004 is a very respectable 4.8%, many rural counties are over 7.0%. And in general, economic growth in smaller communities under 50...

The elimination of urban-rural differences in the Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) standard rates implies a need to re-examine all the PPS payment adjustments. Refinements for case mix, outliers, and the wage index can make a significant contribution to avoiding payment disparities in a single-rate system. However, changes in the adjustments for teaching and disproportionate-share (DSH...

titlan in the Valley of Mexico, that Aztec city was the capital of a far-flung tributary empire. The emperor Motecuhzoma sat atop a complex social and political hierarchy, and the Aztec populace owed allegiance and tribute to nobles at several levels. Below the emperor were the kings of subject city-states. The Aztec dominion employed a policy of indirect rule, and imperial authorities supporte...