Many Americans believe that people who lack health insurance somehow get the care they really need. Care Without Coverage examines the real consequences for adults who lack health insurance. The study presents findings in the areas of prevention and screening, cancer, chronic illness, hospital-based care, and general health status. The committee looked at the consequences of being uninsured for people suffering from cancer, diabetes, HIV infection and AIDS, heart and kidney disease, mental illness, traumatic injuries, and heart attacks. It focused on the roughly 30 million-one in seven-working-age Americans without health insurance. This group does not include the population over 65 that is covered by Medicare or the nearly 10 million children who are uninsured in this country. The main findings of the report are that working-age Americans without health insurance are more likely to receive too little medical care and receive it too late; be sicker and die sooner; and receive poorer care when they are in the hospital, even for acute situations like a motor vehicle crash.

Eliminate avoidable toxins, mitigate the effects of those you can’t avoid, and enjoy a longer life with this essential health guide from a pioneer in integrative medicine, Dr. Joe Pizzorno—the author, teacher, practitioner, and founder of Bastyr University, the country’s first and largest fully accredited university of natural medicine. Dr. Joe Pizzorno is convinced that lifelong good health rests on two key determinants: your exposure to toxins and your ability to process them in your body. While lifestyle, diet, and genetics all play a major role in well-being, many symptoms of declining health and chronic disease are rooted in toxic overload—our exposure to a barrage of chemicals, heavy metals, radiation, electromagnetic frequencies, and pollution that are the byproducts of modern life. While the human body has an innate capacity to detoxify, it cannot cope with the elevated levels of toxins we are exposed to today. Most alarmingly, this toxic overload has helped transform once rare diseases into epidemics affecting people of all ages. In The Toxin Solution, Dr. Pizzorno provides the proven detox and tailored methods he has developed to heal toxic overload and restore health in just eight weeks. With this essential guide you will learn how to: Avoid toxins in food and the products you use; Mend your gut and prepare for detox; Support your body in releasing the chemicals; Repair some of the damage toxins have caused. Fortunately, our bodies have a tremendous capacity for healing and recovery. With The Toxin Solution you will discover how releasing and avoiding toxins can help you to feel better today—and every day for the rest of your life.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) administers two programs that provide benefits based on disability: the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. This report analyzes health care utilizations as they relate to impairment severity and SSA's definition of disability. Health Care Utilization as a Proxy in Disability Determination identifies types of utilizations that might be good proxies for "listing-level" severity; that is, what represents an impairment, or combination of impairments, that are severe enough to prevent a person from doing any gainful activity, regardless of age, education, or work experience.

Based on careful analysis of burden of disease and the costs ofinterventions, this second edition of 'Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries, 2nd edition' highlights achievable priorities; measures progresstoward providing efficient, equitable care; promotes cost-effectiveinterventions to targeted populations; and encourages integrated effortsto optimize health. Nearly 500 experts - scientists, epidemiologists, health economists,academicians, and public health practitioners - from around the worldcontributed to the data sources and methodologies, and identifiedchallenges and priorities, resulting in this integrated, comprehensivereference volume on the state of health in developing countries.

Roughly 40 million Americans have no health insurance, private or public, and the number has grown steadily over the past 25 years. Who are these children, women, and men, and why do they lack coverage for essential health care services? How does the system of insurance coverage in the U.S. operate, and where does it fail? The first of six Institute of Medicine reports that will examine in detail the consequences of having a large uninsured population, Coverage Matters: Insurance and Health Care, explores the myths and realities of who is uninsured, identifies social, economic, and policy factors that contribute to the situation, and describes the likelihood faced by members of various population groups of being uninsured. It serves as a guide to a broad range of issues related to the lack of insurance coverage in America and provides background data of use to policy makers and health services researchers.

Americans praise medical technology for saving lives and improving health. Yet, new technology is often cited as a key factor in skyrocketing medical costs. This volume, second in the Medical Innovation at the Crossroads series, examines how economic incentives for innovation are changing and what that means for the future of health care. Up-to-date with a wide variety of examples and case studies, this book explores how payment, patent, and regulatory policiesâ€"as well as the involvement of numerous government agenciesâ€"affect the introduction and use of new pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and surgical procedures. The volume also includes detailed comparisons of policies and patterns of technological innovation in Western Europe and Japan. This fact-filled and practical book will be of interest to economists, policymakers, health administrators, health care practitioners, and the concerned public.

Provide outstanding healthcare while keeping within budget with this comprehensive, engagingly written guide Understanding Value-Based Healthcare is a succinct, interestingly written primer on the core issues involved in maximizing the efficacy and outcomes of medical care when cost is a factor in the decision-making process. Written by internationally recognized experts on cost- and value-based healthcare, this timely book delivers practical and clinically focused guidance on one of the most debated topics in medicine and medicine administration today. Understanding Value-Based Healthcare is divided into three sections: Section 1 Introduction to Value in Healthcare lays the groundwork for understanding this complex topic. Coverage includes the current state of healthcare costs and waste in the USA, the challenges of understanding healthcare pricing, ethics of cost-conscious care, and more. Section 2 Causes of Waste covers important issues such as variation in resource utilization, the role of technology diffusion, lost opportunities to deliver value, and barriers to providing high-value care. Section 3 Solutions and Tools discusses teaching cost awareness and evidence-based medicine, the role of patients, high-value medication prescribing, screening and prevention, incentives, and implementing value-based initiatives. The authors include valuable case studies within each chapter to demonstrate how the material relates to real-world situations faced by clinicians on a daily basis. .

Drawing on the work of the Roundtable on Evidence-Based Medicine, the 2007 IOM Annual Meeting assessed some of the rapidly occurring changes in health care related to new diagnostic and treatment tools, emerging genetic insights, the developments in information technology, and healthcare costs, and discussed the need for a stronger focus on evidence to ensure that the promise of scientific discovery and technological innovation is efficiently captured to provide the right care for the right patient at the right time. As new discoveries continue to expand the universe of medical interventions, treatments, and methods of care, the need for a more systematic approach to evidence development and application becomes increasingly critical. Without better information about the effectiveness of different treatment options, the resulting uncertainty can lead to the delivery of services that may be unnecessary, unproven, or even harmful. Improving the evidence-base for medicine holds great potential to increase the quality and efficiency of medical care. The Annual Meeting, held on October 8, 2007, brought together many of the nation's leading authorities on various aspects of the issues - both challenges and opportunities - to present their perspectives and engage in discussion with the IOM membership.

The most recognized and respected resource on natural medicine—with more than 1 million copies sold—is now revised and updated to include the latest information on diet, nutritional supplements, and other natural medicines. Dr. Michael T. Murray and Dr. Joseph Pizzorno are two of the most trusted doctors of natural medicine in the world. In this third edition of The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, they team up once again to deliver the most powerful and up-to-date holistic remedies for more than eighty common ailments. Fully revised for the first time since 1997, this A-Z guide includes brand-new treatments, the latest scientific studies, and wisdom from today’s cutting-edge research in the field of naturopathy. From dealing with acne to varicose veins, each topic includes a list of symptoms, a description, therapeutic considerations, and a treatment summary, along with suggested nutritional supplements and herbal medicines. Focusing on prevention, safety, and the key naturopathic principle of treating the whole person, this book shows how to avoid disease, increase longevity, and develop a healthy lifestyle.