How High Is Too High? Implications of High-Deductible Health Plans

Assesses high deductible health plans, and the likelihood that they would have a substantial effect on either health costs or coverage. Suggests legislative modifications to protect lower wage adults and ensure access to early preventive and primary care

Health Care Opinion Leaders' Views on the Future of Long-Term Care

Presents findings from a survey of experts on the challenges for long-term care -- securing adequate financing, developing the required healthcare workforce, and improving the quality of long-term care -- and strategies for addressing them

Framing audience prefigurations of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: The roles of fandom, politics and idealised intertexts

Audiences for blockbuster event-film sequels and adaptations often formulate highly developed expectations, motivations, understandings and opinions well before the films are released. A range of intertextual and paratextual influences inform these audience prefigurations, and are believed to frame subsequent audience engagement and response. In our study of prefigurative engagements with Peter Jackson’s 2012 film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, we used Q methodology to identify five distinct subjective orientations within the film’s global audience. As this paper illustrates, each group privileges a different set of extratextual referents – notably J.R.R. Tolkien’s original novels, Peter Jackson’s The Lord of The Rings film trilogy, highly localised political debates relating to the film’s production, and the previous associations of the film’s various stars. These interpretive frames, we suggest, competed for ascendancy within public and private discourse in the lead up to The Hobbit’s international debut, effectively fragmenting and indeed polarising the film’s prospective global audience

A production modeling approach to the assessment of the horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) population in Delaware Bay

Horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) is harvested commercially, used by the biomedical industry, and provides food for migrating shorebirds, particularly in Delaware Bay. Recently, decreasing crab population trends in this region have raised concerns that the stock may be insufficient to fulfill the needs of these diverse user groups. To assess the Delaware Bay horseshoe crab population, we used surplus production models (programmed in ASPIC), which incorporated data from fishery-independent surveys, fishery-dependent catch-per-unit-of-effort data, and regional harvest. Results showed a depleted population (B2003/=0.03−0.71) BMSY and high relative fishing mortality /FMSY=0.9−9.5). Future harvest (F2002strategies for a 15-year period were evaluated by using population projections with ASPICP software. Under 2003 harvest levels (1356 t), population recovery to BMSY would take at least four years, and four of the seven models predicted that the population would not reach BMSY within the 15year period. Production models for horseshoe crab assessment provided management benchmarks for a species with limited data and no prior stock assessmen

You\u27ve Got a Friend in Me: Effectiveness of Social Skills Interventions for Children with ADHD

Children diagnosed with ADHD present with the core symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity, which lead to challenges with school based activities, including peer interactions, academics, and extracurricular activities (McClelland, Morrison, & Holmes, 2000; Hoza, 2007). Current research identifies social skills interventions as a potential strategy for occupational therapists (OTs) to address these participation challenges of children with ADHD, however there is a multitude of interventions that fall under this umbrella. The variety of social skills interventions allows for flexibility and diversity in implementation, but poses the challenge of choosing the most effective intervention. This choice should be informed by evidence-based practice, ensuring the viability of the profession and moving it towards the Centennial Vision (Clark, 2010). To understand the effectiveness of the available social skills interventions for children with ADHD, a systematic review was conducted. The purpose of this session is to present the results of an evidence-based review on the effectiveness of social skills interventions to improve school participation for children with ADHD and discuss implications for clinical practice. The authors searched 6 data bases, resulting in analysis of 12 articles to investigate effectiveness of social skills interventions for children with ADHD. The systematic review process is presented, including the clinical question, inclusion/exclusion criteria, and search terms. The authors outline emerging themes within the research. The authors found moderate support for effectiveness of interventions implemented in physical settings where children are naturally engaging in activities. There is also promising research supporting the use of a combined cognitive behavioral and play-based approach. Evidence did not support the use of a solely cognitive behavioral approach These results suggest that social skills interventions have potential as an effective technique to improve school participation in children with ADHD. Social skills interventions are often used in conjunction with other therapies, and provide a supplement to academics-focused therapy. To advance understanding of social skills interventions, continued research is needed to determine the effectiveness of social skills interventions, discern the most appropriate form of social skills intervention for each student, and solidify OT’s role in social participation intervention. References: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html. Clark, F. (2010). High definition occupational therapy: HD OT. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 64, 848-84. doi: 10.5014/ajot2010.64602. Hoza, B. (2007). Peer functioning in children with ADHD. Ambulatory Pediatrics, 7(1), 101- 106. doi:10.1016/j.ambp.2006.04.011 McClelland, M. M., Morrison, F. J., & Holmes, D. L. (2000). Children at risk for early academic problems: The role of learning-related social skills. Early Childhood Research Quarterly,15(3), 307-329. doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2011.03.031

Gaps in Health Insurance: An All-American Problem

Presents findings from a survey that examines health insurance coverage, rising healthcare costs, and the health and financial consequences to families that experience breaks in insurance

Closing the Divide: How Medical Homes Promote Equity in Health Care

Presents findings from the Commonwealth Fund 2006 Health Care Quality Survey, and demonstrates how having stable insurance, a regular provider and, in particular, a medical home, improves health care access and quality among vulnerable populations

Wages, Health Benefits, and Workers' Health

Examines the divide in the U.S. labor market between higher wage earners with health insurance, and lower wage earners who often lack coverage and access to essential health care

Squeezed: Why Rising Exposure to Health Care Costs Threatens the Health and Financial Well-Being of American Families

Examines U.S. healthcare costs compared with other industrialized countries, individual health insurance coverage, individual market regulations, and the impact of high deductible plans on the health of individuals with chronic disease

Health Coverage for Aging Baby Boomers: Findings From The Commonwealth Fund Survey of Older Adults

Examines healthcare quality and access by baby boomers in working families. Offers recommendations for expanding coverage, including options for savings accounts and early participation in Medicare