Equity in the utilization of hospital in-patient services in Ireland: an improved approach to the measurement of health need and differential cost. ESRI working paper no. 19, n.d.

Hospital services in Ireland have developed into a complex mixture of public and private provision with private patients being treated in public as well as private hospitals. This interweaving of public and private medicine is driven to a large extent by the large proportion of the population covered by health insurance which has grown from 4% in 1960 to over 50% by 2004. This situation has led to concerns that hospital care is not available to all on the basis of need alone but is substantially influenced by personal circumstances. Previous research on Irish hospitals found that utilisation was neutral across the income distribution controlling for health status – i.e., there was essentially equal treatment for equal need irrespective of income. It could be argued however that these analyses did not properly control for health status as those in lower income groups can be shown to have a lower health status within the same response categories within social surveys. Similarly, previous research has also assumed that treatment costs were identical across groups. In this paper we derive a new measure of health – the ‘Ill Health Index’ using three different health indicators and obtain information on differential costs of treatment across groups. We find that both those with medical insurance and those with medical cards are more likely to use hospital services. The costs of these services are also significantly higher for these groups. Comparison of measures of equity for inpatient utilisation and inpatient costs shows that costs are more pro-poor, but a decomposition of the distribution of hospital costs standardising for health needs shows that higher income groups actually use hospital services more and cost more for the same level of health than lower income groups

Ah So Lonely

Girl sitting on hill looking at cottage belowhttps://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/cht-sheet-music/13636/thumbnail.jp

Whither Goest NTIA? The Fate of a Federal Telecommunications Agency

In the past year, Congress has sealed the fate of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Although President Clinton has pledged to veto any action that abolishes the Commerce Department, in which the NTIA is located, Congress will ultimately dismantle the NTIA. Thus, the question becomes what entity will shoulder NTIA\u27s workload, which includes among other responsibilities managing federal use of the radio frequency spectrum, developing executive branch telecommunications policy, and administering the Federal Grants Program. Although the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) appears to many a natural successor to the NTIA\u27s varied responsibilities, the Authors suggest other agencies are more appropriate. For instance, relocation of NTIA\u27s spectrum management functions are better suited to the General Services Administration (GSA), Office of Management and Budget (OMB), or the Treasury Department. The Authors indicate that these agencies are in a more neutral position than the FCC because they do not have a relationship with the private sector which makes balancing the needs of competing groups difficult. Moreover, the NTIA\u27s policy-making functions should remain with an executive branch agency in order to provide the president the ability to take independent positions on telecommunications issues

Whither Goest NTIA? The Fate of a Federal Telecommunications Agency

In the past year, Congress has sealed the fate of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Although President Clinton has pledged to veto any action that abolishes the Commerce Department, in which the NTIA is located, Congress will ultimately dismantle the NTIA. Thus, the question becomes what entity will shoulder NTIA\u27s workload, which includes among other responsibilities managing federal use of the radio frequency spectrum, developing executive branch telecommunications policy, and administering the Federal Grants Program. Although the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) appears to many a natural successor to the NTIA\u27s varied responsibilities, the Authors suggest other agencies are more appropriate. For instance, relocation of NTIA\u27s spectrum management functions are better suited to the General Services Administration (GSA), Office of Management and Budget (OMB), or the Treasury Department. The Authors indicate that these agencies are in a more neutral position than the FCC because they do not have a relationship with the private sector which makes balancing the needs of competing groups difficult. Moreover, the NTIA\u27s policy-making functions should remain with an executive branch agency in order to provide the president the ability to take independent positions on telecommunications issues