Financial and Health Burdens of Chronic Conditions Grow

Points to rising rates of chronic conditions and obesity; growing numbers of patients with problems paying medical bills, even with insurance; and contributing factors such as declining private coverage and delays in accessing care. Outlines implications

Limited Options to Manage Specialty Drug Spending

Outlines rising trends in costs of and spending on specialty drugs; health plans' efforts to curb specialty drug spending, including patient cost sharing and utilization management; and efforts to integrate medical and pharmaceutical coverage

An Underlying Theory for Gravity

A new direction to understand gravity has recently been explored by considering classical gravity to be a derived interaction from an underlying theory. This underlying theory would involve new degrees of freedom at a deeper level and it would be structurally different from classical gravitation. It may conceivably be a quantum theory or a non-quantum theory. The relation between this underlying theory and Einstein's gravity is similar to the connection between statistical mechanics and thermodynamics. We discuss the apparent lack of evidence of any quantum nature of gravity in this context.Comment: Contributed paper to VIIth International Conference on Gravitation and Cosmology, 14 - 19 December, 2011 GOA, INDIA. 4 page

Striking Jump in Consumers Seeking Health Care Information

Examines shifts in how Americans seek health information from sources other than their doctors. Looks at growing Internet use and information-seeking for others, education as a factor, and the impact of information-seeking on perceptions of health issues

Word of Mouth and Physician Referrals Still Drive Health Care Provider Choice

Examines how consumers choose physicians, specialists, or medical facilities, including the use of physician referrals, word-of-mouth recommendations, health plan information, and the Internet. Explores implications for consumer-directed health care