The effect of unemployment spells on subsequent wages in Spain

In our analysis we try and recover the wage loss from unemploymentin Spain and see how it is affected by previous unemploymentexperience, unemployment duration, eligibility for unemploymentbenefits, and previous wages. We also study its variations acrossgroups. Our main conclusion is that while there is some evidencethat labour market rigidities tend to lower it, the wage loss ofdisplaced workers is remarkably high: more than 30%, that is,twice the equivalent figure for the US and France. Wages in Spainsuffer from a serious mismeasurement problems that we do our best tocontrol, so that our results are less robust than the ones thatwould be obtained with better data sets. However, they indicate a large level of wage flexibility in Spain.

Turbulence and unemployment in a job matching model

According to Ljungqvist and Sargent (1998), high European unemployment since the 1980s can be explained by a rise in economic turbulence, leading to greater numbers of unemployed workers with obsolete skills. These workers refuse new jobs due to high unemployment benefits. In this paper we reassess the turbulence-unemployment relationship using a matching model with endogenous job destruction. In our model, higher turbulence reduces the incentives of employed workers to leave their jobs. If turbulence has only a tiny effect on the skills of workers experiencing endogenous separation, then the results of Lungqvist and Sargent (1998, 2004) are reversed, and higher turbulence leads to a reduction in unemployment. Thus, changes in turbulence cannot provide an explanation for European unemployment that reconciles the incentives of both unemployed and employed workers.

Stroke initial severity and outcome relative to insurance status in a universal health care system in Switzerland.

BACKGROUND:  Socioeconomic status is thought to have a significant influence on stroke incidence, risk factors and outcome. Its influence on acute stroke severity, stroke mechanisms, and acute recanalisation treatment is less known. METHODS:  Over a 4-year period, all ischaemic stroke patients admitted within 24 h were entered prospectively in a stroke registry. Data included insurance status, demographics, risk factors, time to hospital arrival, initial stroke severity (NIHSS), etiology, use of acute treatments, short-term outcome (modified Rankin Scale, mRS). Private insured patients (PI) were compared with basic insured patients (BI). RESULTS:  Of 1062 consecutive acute ischaemic stroke patients, 203 had PI and 859 had BI. They were 585 men and 477 women. Both populations were similar in age, cardiovascular risk factors and preventive medications. The onset to admission time, thrombolysis rate, and stroke etiology according to TOAST classification were not different between PI and BI. Mean NIHSS at admission was significantly higher for BI. Good outcome (mRS ≤ 2) at 7 days and 3 months was more frequent in PI than in BI. CONCLUSION:  We found better outcome and lesser stroke severity on admission in patients with higher socioeconomic status in an acute stroke population. The reason for milder strokes in patients with better socioeconomic status in a universal health care system needs to be explained.

Understanding Insurance Company Financial Stability Ratings, January 2007

Choosing a financially strong insurance company is important when buying health insurance. You want the company to still be in business when you have claims, which can be 20 to 30 years from now. Insurance companies selling insurance in Iowa have met the minimum legal standards to be licensed by the State of Iowa Insurance Division. This licensure doesn’t mean the company has a high financial stability rating. Several independent rating agencies evaluate the financial stability of insurance companies. The rating for an individual insurance company is an opinion as to its financial strength and ability to pay claims in the future. When evaluating a company, a rating agency may consider a company's balance sheet strength, operating performance and business management and strategies.

Getting Ready to Retire: Health Insurance Issues, December 2006

Before making the decision to retire, understand the health insurance options available to you (and your spouse if you are married). Which questions you need to ask depends on: • how old you are. • how old your spouse is. • whether you or your spouse is eligible for Medicare. • whether you or your spouse will continue to be employed. • how many employees the employer has.

Events That Guarantee Your Right To Buy Medicare Supplement Insurance, March 2007

You have a six-month open enrollment period when you are enrolled in Medicare Part B for the first time at age 65 or older. The six-month period begins the date your Medicare Part B begins. During your open enrollment period: • You cannot be turned down for any plan (A-L) being sold in Iowa. • You cannot be charged a higher premium based on your health. • You will not have a waiting period before benefits are paid for pre-existing health conditions IF you had previous health insurance coverage, AND you apply within 63 days of the end of previous health insurance, AND you were covered for at least 6 months under that health plan.

Medicare and Other Insurance for People with Disabilities, March 2007

When you are entitled to Social Security disability benefits for 24 months, you are eligible for Medicare beginning the 25th month. An exception applies if you have been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. If you have ALS, Medicare begins the first month you are entitled to Social Security disability benefits.

COBRA: Continuation of Employer Group Health Insurance, March 2007

COBRA stands for Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act *COBRA is not insurance; it is the law, since 1985. COBRA allows employees and their dependents to continue employer group health insurance for several months when that insurance would usually end. *Insurance plans under COBRA are private health plans, not plans sold by the government. *The U.S. Departments of Labor and Treasury enforce COBRA.

Long-Term Care Insurance Companies, September 2007

The companies on this list have been approved to sell long-term-care insurance in the State of Iowa. Customer service numbers are listed for each company. Please open pdf for the numbers.

The role of title insurance under recording and registration

This article outlines a transaction cost theory of title insurance andanalyses the role it plays in countries with recording and registrationof land titles. Title insurance indemnifies real estate right holdersfor losses caused by pre-existing title defects that are unknown whenthe policy is issued. It emerged to complement the errors and omissions insurance of professionals examining title quality. Poor organizationof public records led title insurers in the USA to integrate titleexamination and settlement services. Their residual claimant statusmotivates insurers to screen, cure and avoid title defects. Firmsintroducing title insurance abroad produce little information on titlequality, however. Their policies are instead issued on a casualty basis,complementing and enforcing the professional liability of conveyancers.Future development in markets with land registration is uncertainbecause of adverse selection, competitive reactions from establishedconveyancers and the ability of larger banks to self-insure title risks.

Fixed-term contracts and the duration distribution of unemployment

In the mid-1980s, many European countries introduced fixed-term contracts.Since then their labor markets have become more dynamic. This paper studiesthe implications of such reforms for the duration distribution ofunemployment, with particular emphasis on the changes in the durationdependence. I estimate a parametric duration model using cross-sectionaldata drawn from the Spanish Labor Force Survey from 1980 to 1994 to analyzethe chances of leaving unemployment before and after the introduction offixed-term contracts. I find that duration dependence has increased sincesuch reform. Semi-parametric estimation of the model also shows that forlong spells, the probability of leaving unemployment has decreased sincesuch reform.

The ins and outs of unemployment: An analysis conditional on technology shocks

We analyze how unemployment, job finding and job separation rates reactto neutral and investment-specific technology shocks. Neutral shocks increaseunemployment and explain a substantial portion of it volatility; investment-specificshocks expand employment and hours worked and contribute to hoursworked volatility. Movements in the job separation rates are responsible for theimpact response of unemployment while job finding rates for movements alongits adjustment path. The evidence warns against using models with exogenousseparation rates and challenges the conventional way of modelling technologyshocks in search and sticky price models.

Demand for private health insurance: Is there a quality gap?

Quality of care is qualified as a main determinant of the demand forvoluntary private health insurance (PHI) in National Health Systems(NHS). This paper provides new evidence on the influence of the qualitygap between public and private health insurance and other demanddeterminants in the demand for PHI in Catalonia. The demand for PHI ismodelled as a demand for health care quality. Unlike previous studies, the database employed allows for the development of a link between thetheoretical and the empirical model dealing with unobserved heterogeneityand endogeneity issues. Results suggest that a rise in PHI qualityenhances an equivalent influence in the demand for PHI as an equalreduction of NHS quality. Income and price elasticity estimates areconsistent with the observed feature that PHI appears to be a luxurygood and individuals tend to be relatively insensible to tax relief'sand monetary co-payments in insurance contracts.

Consumer Advisory Bulletin, Credit Insurance: Is it a Good Idea for You?, June 2005

The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division receives hundreds of calls and consumer complaints every year. Follow these tips to avoid unexpected expense and disappointments. This record is about: Credit Insurance: Is it a Good Idea for You?

COBRA: Continuation of Employer Group Health Insurance, 2007

Medicare Deductible, co-insurance and premiuns form, and rescription drugs plans.