The common law power of the legislature: insurer conversions and charitable funds.
(9/53)
New York's Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield conversion from nonprofit to for-profit form has considerable legal significance. Three aspects of the conversion make the case unique: the role of the state legislature in directing the disposition of the conversion assets, the fact that it made itself the primary beneficiary of those assets, and the actions of the state attorney general defending the state rather than the public interest in the charitable assets. Drawing on several centuries of common law rejecting the legislative power to direct the disposition of charitable funds, this article argues that the legislature lacked power to control the conversion and direct the disposition of its proceeds and that its actions not only undermined the nonprofit form but also raised constitutional concerns. (+info)
The need for online information on the economic consequences of cancer diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship.
(10/53)
The Internet is commonly used to provide treatment information to patients diagnosed with cancer. Notably missing from the existing websites is information on the cost of cancer care in terms of medical costs to the patient and work-related consequences. The purpose of this paper is to describe what is known about the economic cost of cancer and to describe how this information can be structured so that it is of more benefit to patients. This paper first provides an overview of the information available regarding medical expenses and productivity costs associated with cancer survivorship, particularly with respect to cancer and employment. Second, it draws attention to the sparse economic information available online to cancer survivors. Patients can find information on sources of financial assistance, but they cannot estimate from the available information the cost of their care or anticipate the impact that cancer and its treatment may have on their jobs. Finally, a strategy for filling the void in online economic cancer information is described. Substantial opportunity exists to provide economic information to cancer patients and their families. The Internet is a natural forum for gathering and disseminating economic information. A unique advantage of the Internet is its ability to put information immediately in the hands of cancer patients and their families--assisting them to become informed consumers and skilled negotiators. (+info)
Payback arising from research funding: evaluation of the Arthritis Research Campaign.
(11/53)
OBJECTIVES: Using a structured evaluation framework to systematically review and document the outputs and outcomes of research funded by the Arthritis Research Campaign in the early 1990s. To illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of different modes of research funding. METHODS: The payback framework was applied to 16 case studies of research grants funded in the early 1990s. Case study methodology included bibliometric analysis, literature and archival document review and key informant interviews. RESULTS: A range of research paybacks was identified from the 16 research grants. The payback included 302 peer-reviewed papers, postgraduate training and career development, including 28 PhD/MDs, research informing recommendations in clinical guidelines, improved quality of life for people with RA and the reduction of the likelihood of recurrent miscarriage for women with antiphospholipid syndrome. The payback arising from project grants appeared to be similar to that arising from other modes of funding that were better resourced. CONCLUSIONS: There is a wide diversity of research payback. Short focused project grants seem to provide value for money. (+info)
Marketing to the marginalised: tobacco industry targeting of the homeless and mentally ill.
(12/53)
OBJECTIVES: To describe the tobacco industry's relationships with and influence on homeless and mentally ill smokers and organisations providing services to them. METHODS: Analysis of internal tobacco industry documents and journal articles. RESULTS: The tobacco industry has marketed cigarettes to the homeless and seriously mentally ill, part of its "downscale" market, and has developed relationships with homeless shelters and advocacy groups, gaining positive media coverage and political support. DISCUSSION: Tobacco control advocates and public health organisations should consider how to target programmes to homeless and seriously mentally ill individuals. Education of service providers about tobacco industry efforts to cultivate this market may help in reducing smoking in these populations. (+info)
Volunteering: beyond an act of charity.
(13/53)
Volunteering internationally appeals to health care professionals and students for a variety of reasons and serves a number of purposes. If international voluntarism is to be mutually advantageous, however, host countries, volunteers and project sponsors need to understand how best they can work together and what can be achieved by volunteers for the greatest benefit of all concerned. This paper is intended to contribute to the growing dialogue on international voluntarism and offers suggestions to strengthen its value, from the perspectives of health workers in a developing country and the authors" experiences over the past 30 years. The paper also identifies undesirable side effects and disabling interventions of international initiatives and examines the notions of aid and assistance. One strategy to prepare volunteers for upcoming international efforts as well as to address inequities at home is involvement with underserved populations in our own country. (+info)
Uncompensated care provided by private practice physicians in Florida.
(14/53)
While a great deal of attention has been paid in recent years to establishing the magnitude and characteristics of uncompensated care in hospitals, comparatively little research has been undertaken to study physician uncompensated care. This article reports the results of a prospective patient-specific study of uncompensated care in Florida. Of 4,042 cases examined, 26.2 percent had charges voluntarily reduced below the usual and customary charge at the time of service. However, only 13.5 percent of those reductions were attributed to charity. Overall, 10.4 percent of the total billed amount was left unresolved. When payment source was considered, it was found that self-pay patients accounted for 30.6 percent of the cases but accounted for 52.0 percent of the unresolved amounts. Further analysis indicated that the self-pay patients were 35.5 times more likely to leave an outstanding balance than individuals with some type of insurance coverage. Odds of unresolved balances were also calculated as a function of income, specialty type, practice size, and type of visit. (+info)
Human fronto-mesolimbic networks guide decisions about charitable donation.
(15/53)
Humans often sacrifice material benefits to endorse or to oppose societal causes based on moral beliefs. Charitable donation behavior, which has been the target of recent experimental economics studies, is an outstanding contemporary manifestation of this ability. Yet the neural bases of this unique aspect of human altruism, which extends beyond interpersonal interactions, remain obscure. In this article, we use functional magnetic resonance imaging while participants anonymously donated to or opposed real charitable organizations related to major societal causes. We show that the mesolimbic reward system is engaged by donations in the same way as when monetary rewards are obtained. Furthermore, medial orbitofrontal-subgenual and lateral orbitofrontal areas, which also play key roles in more primitive mechanisms of social attachment and aversion, specifically mediate decisions to donate or to oppose societal causes. Remarkably, more anterior sectors of the prefrontal cortex are distinctively recruited when altruistic choices prevail over selfish material interests. (+info)
Band-aid solutions to problems of access: Their origins and limits.
(16/53)
Many persons lack adequate access to oral health services. The causes of this are a constricted understanding of the roles of governments and professions. Both those groups have responsibilities to ensure that a decent level of oral health care is available to all persons in the United States. If the dental professions as a whole were to embrace this ideal, the sacrifices required of any one professional would be minimal. (+info)