Household Demand for Employer-Based Health Insurance

We use the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to estimate a model of household demand for employer-based health insurance, explicitly investigating differences in behavior between households with two potential sources of coverage and those with one source. Own and cross-price elasticities are estimated for three types of health plans, including exclusive provider organizations, any provider organizations, and mixed provider organizations. We find that the premium, family size, income, and wealth significantly affect demand. Our elasticity estimates reveal an overall, small behavioral response to changes in price with respect to health plan switching and take-up. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings with respect to employer benefit design.

Entry and Competition in Local Hospital Markets

There has been considerable consolidation in the hospital industry in recent years. Over 900 deals occurred from 1994-2000, and many local markets, even in large urban areas, have been reduced to monopolies, duopolies or triopolies. This surge in consolidation has led to concern about its effect on competition in local markets for hospital services. In this paper we examine the impact of market structure on competition in local hospital markets – specifically, does competition increase with the number of firms? We extend the entry model developed by Bresnahan and Reiss to make use of quantity information and apply it to data on the US hospital industry. The results from the estimation are striking. In the hospital markets we examine, entry leads to markets quickly becoming competitive. Entry reduces variable profits and increases quality. Indeed, most of the effects of entry come from having a second and possibly a third firm enter the market. The use of quantity information allows us to infer that entry is welfare increasing.analysis of health care markets

Functionalization of synthetic talc-like phyllosilicates by alkoxyorganosilane grafting

A range of talc-like phyllosilicates were prepared via a hydrothermal synthesis performed at five different temperatures from 160 to 350 °C. The organization of the lattice and the degree of crystallinity of the new materials were evaluated by different techniques such as XRD, FTIR, solid-state 29Si NMR, TEM, FEG-SEM and TG-DTA. When synthesized at low temperature the material presents high degree of hydration, low crystallinity and flawed structure. This was attributed to stevensite-talc interstratified product present in the samples. The stevensite/talc ratio and the hydration decrease in the talc-like phyllosilicate samples when the hydrothermal synthesis temperature increases and so the crystallinity becomes higher. A thermal treatment at 500 °C allowed a significant flaw reduction in talc-like phyllosilicate structure; the synthesized sample at 350 °C and heat treated presents a structure close to that of talc. The different talc-like phyllosilicates were grafted covalently by two organoalkoxysilane reagents, N-(3-triethoxysilylpropyl)-4,5-dihydroimidazole (IM2H) and 2-hydroxy-4-(3-triethoxysilylpropoxy)-diphenylketone (HTDK). The grafted amounts of the hybrids, determined by elemental analysis and confirmed by thermogravimetric data, are dependent on the hydrothermal synthesis temperature and organoalkoxysilanes; they become smaller when the synthesis temperature increases and when HTDK is used. FTIR and solid-state 13C CP MAS NMR were applied to characterize the grafted organic groups. So, in this work it is shown that by choosing the hydrothermal synthesis temperature or by performing an additional annealing it is possible to adjust the amount of defects in the structure of talc-like phyllosilicates which seems to be strongly correlated to the grafting performance

La guerre de Succession d’Espagne : l’armée des Alpes et le siège de Toulon

À la suite de la succession d’Espagne, l’empereur avait formé avec la plupart des princes allemands, l’Angleterre et la Hollande une « Grande Alliance » contre la France. En juillet 1707, une armée de 40 000 hommes conduite par le duc de Savoie et le prince Eugène, soutenue par les flottes anglaise et hollandaise, avait passé le Var dans l’espoir de surprendre la place de Toulon dégarnie de troupes et de détruire la puissance de la France en Méditerranée. On rappelle en quelques pages la glorieuse défense de Toulon : l’appel à la résistance du comte de Grignan, la participation de la population au rétablissement des fortifications, la marche extraordinaire de l’armée des Alpes pour entrer dans la ville avant les ennemis, la défense héroïque des forts, la bataille de Faron, le bombardement de Toulon, la levée du siège, le retour précipité de l’armée d’invasion en Italie.War of Spanish Succession-the Army of the Alps and the siege of Toulon.  After the Spanish succession, the Emperor had formed with most of the princes in Germany, England and Holland a "Great Alliance" against France. In July 1707 an army of 40,000 men led by the Duke of Savoy and Prince Eugene, supported by the English and Dutch fleets, passed through the Var in the hope of surprising Toulon, which had been stripped of troops, and destroying the power of France in the Mediterranean. One can recall in several pages the glorious defence of Toulon: an appeal for resistance by the Count of Grignan, the people's participation in restoring the fortifications, the extraordinary march of the army of the Alps to enter the city before the enemy, the heroic defence of the forts, the battle of Faron, the bombardment of Toulon, the raising of the siege, the precipitous return of the invading army to Italy

BROEKMANN, Theo, Rigor iustitiae. Herrschaft, Recht und Terror im normannisch-staufischen Süden (1050-1250)

Th.B. se recommande du courant de l'« anthropologie juridique », qui s'attache à montrer comment, dans l'Occident médiéval, les conflits se résolvent normalement par un compromis : au terme d'un rituel de soumission de l'une des parties, l'autre lui accorde sa grâce. Cette attitude permet de tempérer la iustitia par la misericordia. L'intérêt d'une telle approche est évident ; elle tend toutefois à relativiser l'importance du droit et sous-entend que tout conflit mérite une solution plus poli..

Le pluralisme culturel: peuples et cultures

The kingdom of Sicily sheltered different «peoples»: «Romans», Lombards, Greeks, Saracens, Jews. Each one was distinguished by its personal law, its language, its religion (or rite). Some Greeks and Arabs belonged to the king’s entourage. In Monte Cassino at the end of the 11th century, then in the palace of Palermo in the 12th century, philosophical and scientific Greek and Arabic texts were translated into Latin. Among the Christians, the Roman and Byzantine rites were admitted; but during the 13th century many Greeks lost their own culture.The kingdom of Sicily sheltered different «peoples»: «Romans», Lombards, Greeks, Saracens, Jews. Each one was distinguished by its personal law, its language, its religion (or rite). Some Greeks and Arabs belonged to the king’s entourage. In Monte Cassino at the end of the 11th century, then in the palace of Palermo in the 12th century, philosophical and scientific Greek and Arabic texts were translated into Latin. Among the Christians, the Roman and Byzantine rites were admitted; but during the 13th century many Greeks lost their own culture