53 research outputs found
The Commonwealth Fund/National Opinion Research Center Survey of Retiree Health Benefits, 2005: A Chartbook
Analyzes the state of retiree health benefits, based on a survey of public and private employers. Looks at the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Benefit, Governmental Accounting Standards Board regulations, and past and future changes to retiree benefits
Small Employer Perspectives On The Affordable Care Act's Premiums, SHOP Exchanges, And Self-Insurance
Beginning January 1, 2014, small businesses having no more than fifty full-time-equivalent workers will be able to obtain healthinsurance for their employees through Small Business Health OptionsProgram (SHOP) exchanges in every state. Although the Affordable Care Act intended the exchanges to make the purchasing of insurance moreattractive and affordable to small businesses, it is not yet known how they will respond to the exchanges. Based on a telephone survey of 604 randomly selected private firms having 3 -- 50 employees, we found that both firms that offered health coverage and those that did not rated most features of SHOP exchanges highly but were also very price sensitive.More than 92 percent of nonoffering small firms said that if they were to offer coverage, it would be "very" or "somewhat" important to them that premium costs be less than they are today. Eighty percent of offering firms use brokers who commonly perform functions of benefit managers -- functions that the SHOP exchanges may assume. Twenty-six percent of firms using brokers reported discussing self-insuring with their brokers. An increase in the number of self-insured small employers could pose a threat to SHOP exchanges and other small-group insurance reforms
Spectrum Synthesis Modeling of the X-ray Spectrum of GRO J1655-40 Taken During the 2005 Outburst
The spectrum from the black hole X-ray transient GRO J1655-40. obtained using
the High Energy Transmission Grating (HETG) in 2005 is notable as a
laboratory for the study of warm absorbers, and for the presence of many lines
from odd- elements between Na and Co (and Ti and Cr) not previously observed
in X-rays. We present synthetic spectral models which can be used to constrain
these element abundances and other parameters describing the outflow from the
warm absorber in this object. We present results of fitting to the spectrum
using various tools and techniques, including automated line fitting,
phenomenological models, and photoionization modeling. We show that the
behavior of the curves of growth of lines from H-like and Li-like ions indicate
that the lines are either saturated or affected by filling-in from scattered or
a partially covered continuum source. We confirm the conclusion of previous
work by \cite{Mill06} and \cite{Mill08} which shows that the ionization
conditions are not consistent with wind driving due to thermal expansion. The
spectrum provides the opportunity to measure abundances for several elements
not typically observable in the X-ray band. These show a pattern of enhancement
for iron peak elements, and solar or sub-solar values for elements lighter than
calcium. Models show that this is consistent with enrichment by a core-collapse
supernova. We discuss the implications these values for the evolutionary
history of this system.Comment: Ap. J. submitte
Does Uninsurance Affect the Health Outcomes of the Insured? Evidence from Heart Attack Patients in California
Report From Massachusetts: Employers Largely Support Health Care Reform, And Few Signs Of Crowd-Out Appear
Perspective: On Drinking With Your Competitors After Five: Research Collaboration In The Real World
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