Physician Practice Roundup—Study finds high-deductible employer plans contribute to financial burden for low-income patients

Study: High-deductible employer plans contribute to financial burden for low-income patients

Nearly half of low-income adults with chronic health conditions and a high-deductible, employer-sponsored insurance plan are facing crushing financial burdens from the cost of health care, according to a new study from researchers at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

Published in JAMA Internal Medicine on Monday, researchers examined 2011-2015 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component data on adults 19 to 64 years of age enrolled in employer-sponsored insurance plans.

They found 47% of low-income individuals with multiple chronic conditions and a high-deductible plan were paying more than 20% of their family income on out-of-pocket healthcare expenses. (FierceHealthcare article)

Suicide attempts frequent among transgender youth

Gay, bisexual and transgender youths are at a higher risk of attempting suicide than their heterosexual peers, according to a new review in JAMA Pediatrics.

Most at risk are transgender youths, the study found. The systematic review and meta-analysis of nearly 2.5 million adolescents found suicide attempts are six times more common among transgender youth than heterosexual youths.

The researchers said sexual minority youths may benefit from support programs, counseling and destigmatizing efforts. (JAMA Pediatrics study)

Why providers, lawyers and community-based workers are the public health dream team

The things we generally view as determinants of health—genetics, personal choices and access to high-quality care—really only play a supporting role. In fact, social, economic and environmental factors determine as much as 60% of an individual’s health status.

Those factors can make it difficult for vulnerable populations to improve their health, but with the help of medical-legal partnerships (MLPs), it’s not impossible, according to presenters at the Public Health Law Conference on Friday. MLPs give legal and community-based professionals a voice in the healthcare realm, paving the way to remedy health disparities through civil law. (Fierce Healthcare article)