[EQ] SimIns - Health Financing Policy Tool

SimIns - Health Financing Policy Tool

Guy Carrin and Chris James
Version 2.1 of SimIns released in May 2008
The SimIns software developed and jointly owned by WHO and GTZ

Available online at: http://www.who.int/health_financing/tools/simins/en/index.html

SimIns is a computerized tool to aid in making health financing policy decisions. It does so by projecting health expenditure and funding for a 10 year time period. Thereby it allows to evaluate the feasibility of alternative mixes of financing sources, including social health insurance, community-based health insurance and government budget lines. It can be applied to both existing or planned schemes.

SimIns contributes to financial planning in health insurance over the medium term, predicting the broad contours of health financing possibilities. As such, it has four principal uses:

1.       To illustrate the implications of initial policies for a health insurance scheme and thus supporting analysis of different policy options.

2.       To determine contributions, utilization rates and health care costs that ensure financial equilibrium of a health insurance scheme under dynamic conditions.

3.       To demonstrate the impact that the introduction of health insurance would have on the overall structure of health financing.

4.       To illustrate the impact of health insurance on public finance.

Obtaining SimIns

 SimIns is available on request. Please send an email to: simins@who.int for a copy and further information.

 

 

       *      *      *     *  
         This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate 
         information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic 
         health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics; 
         Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ KMS Area] 

         “Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
         and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
         Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.
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[EQ] Monitoring Social Disparities in health

Monitoring Social Disparities in Health

Health Surveillance and Disease Management - PAHO/WHO Seminar -PAHO/WHO Washington DC

Link to recording session July 14 2008:
https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/jwsdetect/playback.jnlp?psid=2008-07-14.0616.M.08720582EFA3AA33EE90AFB823C2D1.vcr

 

Presentation PDF [68p.] at
http://www.paho.org/English/dd/ikm/Monitoring-Socia-Inequalities-in-Health-08.pdf

      

Related Papers:

An Overview of Methods for Monitoring Social Disparities in Cancer with an Example Using Trends in Lung Cancer Incidence by Area-Socioeconomic Position and Race-Ethnicity, 1992–2004 Sam Harper1, John Lynch1, Stephen C. Meersman2, Nancy Breen2, William W. Davis2 and Marsha E. Reichman2 1 Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada 2 Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda American Journal of Epidemiology 2008 167(8):889-899; doi:10.1093/aje/kwn016 Website: http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/167/8/889 “……The authors provide an overview of methods for summarizing social disparities in health using the example of lung cancer. They apply four measures of relative disparity and three measures of absolute disparity to trends in US lung cancer incidence by area-socioeconomic position and race-ethnicity from 1992 to 2004. ..”

Trends in the Black-White Life Expectancy Gap in the United States, 1983-2003 Sam Harper,  John Lynch, Scott Burris, George Davey Smith JAMA, March 21, 2007—Vol 297, No. 11 American Medical Association http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/297/11/1224.pdf   “….Recent life expectancy trends indicate positive movement toward one of the major US public health goals of eliminating black-white mortality inequalities, but substantial inequalities and challenges remain. Reducing social and individual risk factors for major causes of death and improving access and quality of care for blacks, particularly for cardio vascular diseases, should be a pressing priority for public health and health care…’

Explaining the social gradient in coronary heart disease: comparing relative and absolute risk approaches John Lynch, George Davey Smith, Sam Harper, Kathleen Bainbridge J Epidemiol Community Health 2006;60:436–441. doi: 10.1136/jech.2005.041350   “….Understanding the causes of social inequalities in coronary heart disease CHD may depend on whether one is interested in explaining absolute or relative inequalities in CHD. Conventional risk factors account for the vast majority of CHD cases and for a substantial portion of absolute social inequalities in CHD—72% of the excess risk. An absolute risk approach to understand social inequalities in CHD focuses attention on those risk factors that cause most cases of disease attributable to social inequality. If the concern is to reduce the overall population health burden of CHD and the disproportionate population health burden associated with the social inequalities in CHD, then reducing conventional risk factors will do the job….”

Methods for Measuring Cancer Disparities: Using Data Relevant to Healthy People 2010 Cancer-Related Objectives Sam Harper, John Lynch, Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health University of Michigan, 2006 Surveillance Research Program (SRP) and the Applied Research Program (ARP) of the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences of the National Cancer Institute, NIH. Available online as PDF file [80p.] at: http://seer.cancer.gov/publications/disparities/measuring_disparities.pdf   “……This report raises some conceptual issues and reviews different methodological approaches germane to measuring progress toward the goal of eliminating cancer-related health disparities. Despite the increased attention to social disparities in health, no clear framework exists to define and measure health disparities….”

Measuring Health Disparities Computer-based Course MHDID0806 John W. Lynch, Sam Harper Michigan Public Health Training Center (MPHTC) - University of Michigan, School of Public Health Website: https://practice.sph.umich.edu/mphtc/site.php?module=courses_one_online_course&id=247 “….This interactive course focuses on some basic issues for public health practice -- how to understand, define and measure health disparity. This course examines the language of health disparity to come to some common understanding of what that term means, explains key measures of health disparity and shows how to calculate them. This computer-based course provides a durable tool that is useful to daily activities in the practice of public health….”

 

 

       *      *      *     *  
         This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate 
         information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic 
         health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics; 
         Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ KMS Area] 

         “Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
         and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
         Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.
         ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         PAHO/WHO Website: http://www.paho.org/ 
         EQUITY List - Archives - Join/remove: http://listserv.paho.org/Archives/equidad.html  

 

 

    IMPORTANT: This transmission is for use by the intended recipient and it may contain privileged, proprietary or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient or a person responsible for delivering this transmission to the intended recipient, you may not disclose, copy or distribute this transmission or take any action in reliance on it. If you received this transmission in error, please notify us immediately by email to infosec@paho.org, and please dispose of and delete this transmission. Thank you.  

[EQ] The Effectiveness of Interventions to Address Health Inequalities in the Early Years: A Review of Relevant Literature

The Effectiveness of Interventions to Address Health Inequalities in the Early Years:
A Review of Relevant Literature

Angela Hallam, Scottish Government, Health Analytical Services Division
ISBN 978 0 7559 7156 5 (Web only publication) July 10, 2008

Available online [152p.] at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/231209/0063075.pdf

“….The review has been prepared to summarise the relevant evidence base and advise policy colleagues of the known effectiveness of specific early years health interventions. The review covers the following areas: pregnancy at a young age; maternal and foetal health during pregnancy; maternal and child nutrition and physical and mental health; child development and early education; parenting in the early years; vulnerable groups and longer term impacts….”

The final chapter draws together key messages about the effectiveness of interventions that have been rigorously evaluated, areas where the evidence base is lacking, and methodological issues that need to be addressed by future research.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND INFORMATION
1.1 Introduction
1.2 The national policy context
1.3 Introduction to the evidence base
1.4 Layout of this paper

CHAPTER TWO: PREGNANCY
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Pregnancy at a young age
2.3 Maternal nutrition
2.4 Smoking cessation
2.5 Maternal stress during pregnancy (Nurse-Family Partnership)
2.6 Antenatal classes ( PIPPIN)

CHAPTER THREE: BIRTH ONWARDS - NUTRITION, SMOKING CESSATION AND SAFETY IN THE HOME AND COMMUNITY
3.1 Breastfeeding
3.2 Exposure to passive smoking in early life
3.3 Maternal and child nutrition
3.4 Oral and dental health
3.5 Accidents and injuries

CHAPTER FOUR: BIRTH ONWARDS - HOME VISITING PROGRAMMES
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Sure Start Scotland
4.3 Sure Start in England
4.4 Starting Well
4.5 Child Development Programme & Community Mothers Programme Home-Start

CHAPTER FIVE: PARENTING EDUCATION AND SUPPORT
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Child outcomes: emotional and behavioural development
5.3 Parent outcomes
5.4 The National Audit of Parent Antenatal and Postnatal Education Provision in Scotland, 2005
5.5 Parenting programmes in Scotland (Triple P, Incredible Years, Mellow Parenting)
5.6 Initiatives to promote positive parenting in Scotland

CHAPTER SIX: THREE TO EIGHT YEARS - EARLY EDUCATION AND CHILDCARE
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Pre-school education (The Effective Provision of Pre-School Education ( EPPE) Project)
6.3 High/Scope Perry Pre-school study and other evidence from the US
6.4 Systematic review of day care

CHAPTER SEVEN: THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INITIATIVES TARGETING VULNERABLE GROUPS
7.1 Introduction
7.2 A review of services for vulnerable families with very young children
7.3 People who are homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless (The Dundee Families Project)
7.4 Misuse of alcohol and other drugs
7.5 Children at risk of neglect or acting beyond the control of their parents
7.6 Looked after children

CHAPTER EIGHT: INVESTMENT IN THE EARLY YEARS - LONGER TERM IMPACTS
8.1 Introduction
8.2 The 'spiral of decline'
8.3 Costs and outcomes in services for children in need
8.4 0-5: How Small Children Make a Big Difference
8.5 The costs and benefits of early intervention
8.6 Creating and fostering non-violence in society (Circle of Security and Roots of Empathy)

CHAPTER NINE: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Pregnancy
9.3 Birth onwards - nutrition, smoking cessation and safety
9.4 Birth onwards - home visiting programmes
9.5 Parenting education and support - early years
9.6 Three to eight years - early education and childcare
9.7 The effectiveness of initiatives targeting vulnerable groups
9.8 Investment in the early years - longer term impacts
9.9 Conclusions

REFERENCES

Note: For the purposes of this paper, the following definitions apply: ‘early years’ is defined as pre-, or peri-conception, to approximately eight years, in order to acknowledge the interface between health and education services

‘early intervention’ is described as ‘an intervention which takes place prior to the onset of any difficulties for the individual, in order to prevent, or at least mitigate, those difficulties, and enable the individual to reach their full health potential’ (Froggatt, 2007 (unpublished paper). Interventions can be directed at whole communities, or at individual families and communities at risk

 

   *      *      *     *  
         This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate 
         information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic 
         health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics; 
         Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ KMS Area] 

         “Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
         and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
         Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.
         ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         PAHO/WHO Website: http://www.paho.org/ 
         EQUITY List - Archives - Join/remove: http://listserv.paho.org/Archives/equidad.html  

 

 

    IMPORTANT: This transmission is for use by the intended recipient and it may contain privileged, proprietary or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient or a person responsible for delivering this transmission to the intended recipient, you may not disclose, copy or distribute this transmission or take any action in reliance on it. If you received this transmission in error, please notify us immediately by email to infosec@paho.org, and please dispose of and delete this transmission. Thank you.