Cohabitation Law Reform – Messages From Research

Empirical research in this field has underlined the diversity of the cohabitation population, the existence of the common law marriage myth and the lack of consensus on the best way forward for reform of the law in England and Wales. Against the backdrop of the English Law Commission’s on-going project on cohabitation law, this article will explore the reasons found by recent research for people’s choice of cohabitation over marriage, the interrelationship between commitment and economic vulnerability and the tension in feminist debates as to whether an extension of rights for opposite-sex cohabitants that are analogous to married spouses (either by an opt-in model or opt-out model) might be an appropriate solution or a reinforcement of patriarchal marriage values. It will also consider, given recent research findings and other initiatives aimed at raising awareness about the legal differences between different styles of cohabitation relationship, law’s dual and conflicting role in shaping regulated family structures whilst both protecting vulnerable family members inside and outside such structures and at the same time also offering socially acceptable standards of dispute resolution in this most personal of spheres.     

Dental age estimation, quality assurance and age estimation of asylum seekers in Norway

The historical development of age estimation and the different techniques are presented. Also it is important to separate individuals below 20 years where tooth development can be used and those above 20 years of age where regressive changes must be used and where the visual assessment may be more important. The recommendations for quality assurance from the International Organization for Forensic Odonto Stomatology (IOFOS) is discussed and also the problems of quality assurance on an international level. Suggestions for changes in these recommendations are presented. Finally the Norwegian dental age estimation project in asylum seekers who claim to be below 18 years of age is described.     

Any-Willing-Provider laws: their financial effect on HMOs

Any-Willing-Provider (AWP) legislation requires that health plans accept any health care provider who agrees to conform to the plan's conditions, terms, and reimbursement rates. Many states have adopted such legislation, raising questions about its effect on the managed care market. Those favoring this legislation argue that it will reduce restrictions on choice of provider, while opponents argue that it will reduce competition by increasing administrative and medical costs for managed care plans. Using cross-sectional time-series data for the period 1992-1995 (the period during which many of these laws were enacted), this study investigates the effect that these laws have on HMO financial performance. Our results show that "all-provider" AWP laws have a very limited effect on the financial performance measures we examine. "Pharmacy" AWP laws have a more significant effect, but neither type of law appears to affect the overall profitability of HMOs.