Health Affairs ’ August Issue: Consumerism, Competition, Drug Approval, And More

The August issue of Health Affairs, a variety issue, includes a number of papers focusing on the role of consumers and competition in achieving a more efficient and higher quality health care system. Other issue studies address global health, Medicare savings, and the health gains of an FDA expedited review. Life expectancy and infant mortality in Appalachia versus the rest of the country: disparities widen Appalachia has long been recognized as a socially and economically disadvantaged part of the United States. Gopal Singh from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and coauthors compared disparities in infant mortality and life expectancy between Appalachia and the rest of the United States in the period 1990–2013. According to the study, infant mortality in Appalachia, while not significantly different from the rest of the United States in the early 1990s, was 16 percent higher in the region by the end of the study period, compared to the rest of the country. The life expectancy trends were equally dramatic: While Appalachians had a life expectancy of 75.2 years in the early 1990s—seven months less than Americans elsewhere—that deficit had increased to 2.4 years by the end of the study period (76.9 years versus 79.3 years). Further stratification by sociodemographic groups showed even wider disparities in life expectancy, including a thirteen-year gap between black men in high-poverty areas of Appalachia and white women in low-poverty areas elsewher...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: Elsewhere@ Health Affairs Source Type: blogs