Underwriting the elderly: the utility of DWR, part II

Cognitive function is an important predictor of mortality in the elderly. Over the past few years, an increasing number of life insurance companies have incorporated screening for cognitive impairment into the underwriting process at older ages. Many different test instruments provide a measurement of cognitive function. Among these, the 10 word delayed word recall test (DWR) offers the best opportunity to study mortality directly, because of a long history of use in long-term care risk assessment. This article revises and extends a previous report published in the Journal in 2006 looking at the relationship between DWR score and mortality.     

Medicare retiree drug subsidy compliance considerations

Employers and plan sponsors have struggled with many issues associated with Medicare's retiree drug subsidy program. Recent reviews of employer methods for collecting the subsidy from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) identified significant gaps that would affect the subsidy payment and create issues in case of an audit. In fact, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) has placed audits of employer retiree drug subsidy processes in its work plans for 2006 and 2007. This article discusses areas that employers must address now to avoid significant long-term financial and compliance problems in the future.     

"Quicker and sicker" under Medicare's prospective payment system for hospitals: new evidence on an old issue from a national longitudinal survey

Medicare's prospective payment system for hospitals (PPS), introduced in the USA in 1983, replaced cost reimbursement with a system of fixed rates which created incentives for hospitals to control costs. Previous studies found that elderly patients were discharged from hospital "quicker and sicker" under PPS and concluded that families were coping at home. We analyse a national longitudinal survey, the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and its Epidemiologic Followup Study, which includes data on more outcomes over a longer period than earlier studies. We find that the rate of admission to nursing homes from the community in the first weeks after a hospital discharge more than tripled under PPS, suggesting that families were not always able to cope. As another response to sicker patients, discharges directly to nursing homes from hospitals, which jumped initially under PPS, may have risen further when payment rates were tightened in the early 1990s. Hospital readmissions fell after the first few years. Our findings are strengthened by the fact that we control for patients' health using health information collected independently of hospital admission.     

私有化更有效率吗

本文对始自里根和撒切尔夫人主政时期的私有化浪潮提出了批评和质疑。本文认为,以解决政府失灵问题的私有化浪潮,可能导致更为严重的市场失灵问题。虽然在总体上私有企业比国有企业有更强的盈利能力,但这并不意味着私有企业比国有企业更有效率。即使能够证明私有企业比国有企业更有效率,也不能说私有化是可取的。     

凯恩斯主义之后的宏观经济学

文章首先回顾了凯恩斯主义理论所借助的计量经济学框架,该理论藉此从互不相连的定性讨论进化为一个能够系统地运用数据作估计的方程组,并在需要量化货币和财政政策时提供可操作的指导建议。接着,文章对导致这一框架在20世纪70年代失败的主要原因进行了讨论。文章指出,现代宏观经济模型在政策指导上毫无价值,而沿着现在的思路所进行的任何修正也都无法改变这种情况。这一判断提出了一个有用的经济周期理论所必须具备的某些原则。     

新疆南疆特色林果业发展策略分析

本文从南疆三地州特色林果业发展现状,资源保障程度以及林果业产业化进程分析出发,认为该地区林果业的发展尽管在生产经营管理,果品质量,品牌建设和人才技术等方面问题较突出,但是,该地区又具有得天独厚的自然资源优势,特区优势,价格优势,规模优势,科技优势。整合各种优势,实现强强联合,集约化经营,优化产业结构,提高水果加工能力,最终实现林果业特色产业化。     

用于高频的新颖开关电容积分器

本文研究了用于开关电容(SC)滤波器的离散积分器,所推荐的积分器是由无耗离散积分器(LDI)和双线性离散积分器的最佳线性结合而成,因此,称之为组合离散积分器(CDI)。由于这个积分器使正常转折频率增加一倍,并使高频离散积分器误差减少到最低限度,所以它对高频应用是理想的。文中给出了组合离散积分器的几种SC实现,并且还给出了以组合离散积分器为基础,模拟一般一阶和二阶的模拟滤波器单元的SC电路。     

浅谈港口企业财务风险管理及策略

港口企业作为一类特殊的企业,具有高度的资金密集型和劳动力密集型特征。随着我国国民经济与外贸业务的高速发展,港口吞吐量和港口企业的多元化发展从数量到复杂程度都上升到了新的高度,使得港口企业的财务风险呈现出更多的影响因素,后果更为严重,防范更为困难等特征。港口企业必须结合生产经营与资本结构特征,客观分析财务风险的各项要素,注重财务风险的防范和控制,实现港口企业的稳健发展。     

关于战略的绩效管理探讨

本文从企业战略分解与绩效关系入手,结合BSC、KPI绩效管理体系的一般理论和方法,重点研究基于企业战略的绩效管理体系设计,提出了基于BSC战略导向的KPI绩效管理体系。论述了战略导向的绩效管理体系的总体构架。