Medicare program; schedule of limits on home health agency costs per visit--HCFA. Notice with comment period

This notice with comment period sets forth a revised schedule of limits on home health agency costs that may be paid under the Medicare program for cost reporting periods beginning on or after July 1, 1993. These limits replace the per-visit limits that were set forth in our July 8, 1993 notice with comment period (58 FR 36748). This notice also provides, in accordance with the provisions of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (OBRA '93), that there will be no changes in the home health agency (HHA) cost limits for cost reporting periods beginning on or after July 1, 1994, and before July 1, 1996. In addition, this notice responds to public comments on the July 8, 1993 notice with comment period, which originally set forth the HHA cost limits for cost reporting periods beginning on or after July 1, 1993, and on the January 6, 1994 notice with comment period (59 FR 760), which announced the elimination of the hospital based add-on effective for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 1993.     

Medicaid program; eligibility and coverage requirements--HCFA. Final Rule

This final rule withdraws regulations setting forth a mandatory budgetary method for determining financial eligibility for individuals who are not receiving or deemed to be receiving Federal cash assistance but whose financial eligibility for Medicaid is being determined through the application of financial criteria of the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program. These regulations were previously issued as part of a final rule with comment period originally published on January 19, 1993, and were to be effective October 18, 1994. This final rule also makes conforming technical changes, as a result of this withdrawal, to the remainder of the January 19, 1993, final rule and reaffirms the August 18, 1994, effective date of this remaining part. These changes are being made as a result of consideration of public comments received.     

Medicare program; optional payment system for low Medicare volume skilled nursing facilities--HCFA. Final rule

This final rule allows skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) that provide fewer than 1,500 days of care to Medicare beneficiaries in a cost reporting period to have the option of receiving prospectively determined payment rates in the following cost reporting period. The prospectively determined payment rates are based on components of SNF costs such as routine operating costs, capital-related costs, and a return on equity for proprietary facilities for routine services furnished before October 1, 1993. This rule also specifies that the return on equity provision for proprietary SNFs is eliminated for services furnished on or after October 1, 1993.     

A Novel End to the Big Inflation in China in 1950*

The Chinese inflation of 1949-1950 was fueled by large budget deficits but was ended in March 1950 before significant deficit reduction occurred. We discuss the fiscal strains that gave rise to this inflation and consider the role played by early Communist market-based anti-inflationary measures such as the 'economic warfare' against speculators conducted by the government's state trading companies. While later monetary and fiscal tightening sustained the stabilization achieved in March – at considerable cost to the real economy – the Chinese experience seems to confirm that there is more to inflation stabilization than fiscal balance alone.     

The Effect of Incomes Policies on Inflation in Bulgaria and Poland

Transition countries, and many other countries with incomplete markets, have faced long periods with both high inflation and unemployment. Policies to reduce inflation without high unemployment include incomes policies, which were widely employed in transition countries. This paper studies the effects of incomes policies on inflation in Bulgaria and Poland in 1990-1993. The actual policies, which were complex and changing, are examined. The policies do not appear well-designed in a technical sense to reduce inflation. A time-series analysis is made which includes standard determinants of inflation including past inflation, wage increases, exchange rate changes, and monetary changes, plus a dummy for incomes policies. The regressions are fairly successful in fitting standard factors that should influence inflation, particularly the exchange rate and unemployment in Bulgaria and wages and unemployment in Poland. They find a fairly substantial inflation-reducing effect from the Bulgarian policy but no significant results from the Polish policy.     

The Price-Wage Mechanism in Poland: An Endogenous Switching Model

This paper proposes a two-equation price-wage model that enables to test whether the inflationary pressure on wage rate is only present when the rate of inflation is greater than some threshold value. Since the likelihood function for this model is very nonstandard, we develop a small-sample Bayesian approach to estimate its parameters. Our empirical results for Poland, 1962–1993, give support to the hypothesis of the price- wage spiral with a positive threshold value of inflation.     

Medicare program; changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment systems and fiscal year 1994 rates--HCFA. Final rule with comment period

We are revising the Medicare hospital inpatient prospective payment systems for operating costs and capital-related costs to implement necessary changes arising from our continuing experience with the system. In addition, in the addendum to this final rule with comment period, we are describing changes in the amounts and factors necessary to determine prospective payment rates for Medicare hospital inpatient services for operating costs and capital-related costs. These changes are applicable to discharges occurring on or after October 1, 1993, unless the statute provides otherwise. We are also setting forth rate-of-increase limits for hospitals and hospital units excluded from the prospective payment systems. Finally, we are implementing certain changes in the hospital inpatient prospective payment systems resulting from the enactment of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 on August 10, 1993.     

通货膨胀目标制的内涵及在中国的检验

通货膨胀目标制是当今世界流行的一种货币政策制度.尽管学术界至今对通货膨胀目标制存在不同意见,但对这一制度的有关特征是有共识的,即要明确规定一个数量化的通货膨胀目标;货币政策操作应该有相当高的透明度;中央银行对通货膨胀目标的实现承担责任.此外,通货膨胀目标制是一个包括操作工具、操作目标、信息变量和最终目标在内的有关货币政策制定和实施的系统.本文构建了这一制度的模型框架,并用中国的数据检验了其适用性.结果表明,灵活通胀目标制规则在当前中国的货币政策实践中并不非常适合.     

Financial reforms and regional investment conflicts in China: A game-theoretic analysis

In the transition from a command to a market economy, macroeconomic stabilization poses a grave problem facing the reform governments. A distinct feature of China's economic fluctuations in the post-1979 period has been its “soft-constraint competition”. A two-region game theoretical model is developed in this paper. We find that monetary decentralization in the earlier stage of economic liberalization takes the inflation and fiscal deficits out of the control of the central monetary authorities. The prospective financial reforms will subject local governments' investment drives to the indirect regulations of monetary policy; but by strengthening monetary restraints, will result in massive borrowing from the domestic, or perhaps more likely, the international financial market to finance government deficits, and hence a large build-up in the stock of debts.     

Potency Trends of Δ9‐THC and Other Cannabinoids in Confiscated Cannabis Preparations from 1993 to 2008*

Abstract: The University of Mississippi has a contract with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to carry out a variety of research activities dealing with cannabis, including the Potency Monitoring (PM) program, which provides analytical potency data on cannabis preparations confiscated in the United States. This report provides data on 46,211 samples seized and analyzed by gas chromatography‐flame ionization detection (GC‐FID) during 1993–2008. The data showed an upward trend in the mean Δ⁹‐tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ⁹‐THC) content of all confiscated cannabis preparations, which increased from 3.4% in 1993 to 8.8% in 2008. Hashish potencies did not increase consistently during this period; however, the mean yearly potency varied from 2.5–9.2% (1993–2003) to 12.0–29.3% (2004–2008). Hash oil potencies also varied considerably during this period (16.8 ± 16.3%). The increase in cannabis preparation potency is mainly due to the increase in the potency of nondomestic versus domestic samples.     

Medicare program; criteria and standards for evaluating intermediary and carrier performance during FY 1994--HCFA. General notice

In the September 30, 1993 issue of the Federal Register, we published a general notice with comment period describing the criteria and standards for evaluating intermediary and carrier performance in administering the Medicare program during FY 1994. This notice amends that document to require that contractors certify the accuracy and completeness of the information submitted to HCFA with respect to the evaluation process.     

Medicare program; schedule of per-beneficiary limitations on home health agency costs for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 1997--HCFA. Final rule with comment period

This final rule with comment period sets forth, in accordance with section 4602 of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, a new schedule of limitations on home health agency costs that may be paid under the Medicare program for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 1997. These limitations are in addition to the per-visit limitations that were set forth in our January 2, 1998 notice with comment period.     

On the margins of two professions: Job satisfaction and stress among post-secondary correctional educators

A main purpose of Law-Related Education (LRE) programming in juvenile justice is to teach attitudes and perceptions that are inconsistent with delinquent behavior. This study examines the perceptions of juvenile offenders who participated in Kentucky’s LRE diversion program. Using a semantic differential instrument and a quasi-experimental design, pretest and posttest data were obtained on juveniles’ perceptions of themselves, their parents, their neighbors, their best friends, judges, teachers, and the police. Analyses of pre to post change and comparisons of the perceptions displayed by divertees with those displayed by a comparable group of high school students revealed some favorable outcomes associated with LRE participation. The recidivism of divertees over a one year follow-up period was also low. The limitations and implications of the study are discussed. The study concludes that LRE may be a viable diversionary option in juvenile justice. Funding for this project was provided in part by the State Justice Institute; the views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of the funding body. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the Southern Criminal Justice Association, Charleston, South Carolina, October 8, 1993.     

Business surveys and inflation forecasting in China

We use business survey data collected by the People’s Bank of China for inflation forecasting. Some survey indicators lead to enhanced forecasting performance relative to the univariate benchmark model, especially for a period of moderate inflation. However, the estimated models do not do a good job of tracking the recent pickup in Chinese inflation, due to increases in food prices.     

Medicare program; schedules of per-visit and per-beneficiary limitations on home health agency costs for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 1998--HCFA. Notice with comment period

This notice with comment period sets forth revised schedules of limitations on home health agency costs that may be paid under the Medicare program for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 1998. These limitations replace the limitations that were set forth in our January 2, 1998 notice with comment period (63 FR 89) and our March 31, 1998 final rule with comment period (63 FR 15718).     

Medicare program; criteria and standards for evaluating intermediary and carrier performance during FY 1994--HCFA. General notice with comment period

This notice describes the criteria and standards to be used for evaluating the performance of fiscal intermediaries and carriers in the administration of the Medicare program beginning October 1, 1993. The results of these evaluations are considered whenever HCFA enters into, renews, or terminates an intermediary agreement or carrier contract or takes other contract actions (for example, assigning or reassigning providers of services to an intermediary, or designating regional or national intermediaries). This notice is published in accordance with sections 1816(f) and 1842(b)(2) of the Social Security Act. We are publishing for public comment in the Federal Register those criteria and standards against which we evaluate intermediaries and carriers.     

Medicare program; hospital inpatient value-based purchasing program. Final rule

This final rule implements a Hospital Inpatient Value-Based Purchasing program (Hospital VBP program or the program) under section 1886(o) of the Social Security Act (the Act), under which value-based incentive payments will be made in a fiscal year to hospitals that meet performance standards with respect to a performance period for the fiscal year involved. The program will apply to payments for discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2012, in accordance with section 1886(o) (as added by section 3001(a) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (collectively known as the Affordable Care Act)). Scoring in the Hospital VBP program will be based on whether a hospital meets or exceeds the performance standards established with respect to the measures. By adopting this program, we will reward hospitals based on actual quality performance on measures, rather than simply reporting data for those measures.     

Medicare program; schedules of per-visit and per-beneficiary limitations on home health agency costs for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 1998; correction--HCFA. Correction of notice with comment period

In the August 11, 1998 issue of the Federal Register (63 FR 42912), we published a notice with comment period setting forth revised schedules of limitations on home health agency costs that may be paid under the Medicare program for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 1998. This document corrects technical and typographical errors made in that document.     

South Africa’s inflation persistence: a quantile regression framework

We study inflation persistence in South Africa using a quantile regression approach (We would like to thank two anonymous referees for many helpful comments. However, any remaining errors are solely ours). We control for structural breaks using a quantile structural break test on a long span of inflation data. Our study includes persistence estimates for headline and core inflation—thus controlling for possible biases emanating from extremely volatile periods. South Africa’s inflation persistence is lowest during the inflation targeting period regardless of the inflation measure. Inflation persistence is also constant over all quantiles during the inflation targeting regime for core inflation. There is a difference between the estimates from headline and core—headline persistence increases in relation to higher quantiles. Thus energy and food price shocks might de-stabilise inflation altogether.     

Medicare program: data, standards, and methodology used to establish fiscal year 1994 budgets for fiscal intermediaries and carriers--HCFA. Final notice

This notice is published in accordance with sections 1816(c)(1) and 1842(c)(1) of the Social Security Act which require us to publish the final data, standards, and methodology used to establish budgets for Medicare intermediaries and carriers. In this notice, we respond to the comments received in response to our notice of October 5, 1993 and we announce the adoption of the proposed data, standards, and methodology that we used to establish the Medicare fiscal intermediary and carrier budgets for fiscal year (FY) 1994, beginning October 1, 1993, as final and without revision.