Potential Savings Through Prevention of Avoidable Chronic Illness Among CalPERS State Active Members

Analyzes chronic disease-related health expenditures among state employees that can be targeted by lifestyle interventions. Estimates potential savings from reductions in chronic conditions

Disability and Care Needs Among Older Americans

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/108639/1/milq12076.pd

Housing as a Platform for Improving Outcomes for Older Renters

Explores how housing can help support the independence and well-being of low-income renters age 50 or older, barriers to aging in place, housing service options and challenges, and conditions for positive outcomes, such as affordability and accessibility

Does High Caregiver Stress Predict Nursing Home Entry?

This study estimates how informal care, paid formal care, and caregiver stress or burden relate to nursing home placement. Data came from the 1999 National Long Term Care Survey and were merged with administrative data. Results show that stress is a strong predictor of entry over follow-up periods of up to two years, and physical strain and financial hardship are important predictors of high levels of caregiver stress. The estimates indicate that reducing these stress factors would significantly reduce caregiver stress and, as a result, nursing home entry. We conclude that initiatives to reduce caregiver stress hold promise as a strategy to avoid or defer nursing home entry

Health Insurance, Treatment and Outcomes: Using Auto Accidents as Health Shocks

Previous studies find that the uninsured receive less health care than the insured, yet differences in health outcomes have rarely been studied. In addition, selection bias may partly explain the difference in care received. This paper focuses on an unexpected health shock-severe automobile accidents where victims have little choice but to visit a hospital. Another innovation is the use of a comparison group that is similar to the uninsured: those who have private health insurance but do not have automobile insurance. The medically uninsured are found to receive 20% less care and have a substantially higher mortality rate. © 2005 President and Fellows of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.