Medical Loss Ratios For California's Dental Insurance Plans: Assessing Consumer Value And Policy Solutions.

As a consumer protection, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires that large-group health plans spend at least 85 percent of all premium dollars on health services and quality improvement activities-thus giving the plans a medical loss ratio (MLR) of 85 percent. Small-group and individual plans must have an MLR of at least 80 percent. The ACA did not set minimum MLRs for dental plans.

Screening for depression in young Indigenous people: building on a unique community initiative.

Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service Aboriginal Corporation (GYHSAC) is an Indigenous community-controlled health organisation providing comprehensive primary care to the people of Yarrabah in far north Queensland, Australia. GYHSAC conducts an annual Young Person's Health Check (YPC) for people aged 15-25 years based on the Medical Benefits Schedule Item 715. However, the YPC is constantly evolving to meet the needs of the community, and in 2016, in response to concerns about psychological risk among Indigenous youth, GYHSAC teamed up with James Cook University to trial an adapted PHQ-9 depression screening tool (aPHQ-9) as part of the YPC.