May 2012

Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003
commentary
Prescription Drug Shortages: Reconsidering the Role of Medicare Payment Policies
Mireille Jacobson, Abby Alpert, Fabian Duarte
May 30, 2012
Health Affairs Blog
The focus on the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) as a primary cause of prescription drug shortages is premature and may deflect attention away from identifying other potentially more important causes, write Mireille Jacobson, Abby Alpert, and Fabian Duarte.
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Childhood Trauma
commentary
Helping Kids Cope with the Effects of Violence and Trauma
Lisa H. Jaycox
May 29, 2012
The impact of violence and trauma on children has led RAND and its partners to focus not only on studying the problem, but working collaboratively to find interventions that help address a significant public health need.
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Peacekeeping and Stability Operations
commentary
Okinawa Remains an Intractable Thorn for US and Japan
Stacie L. Pettyjohn, Alan J. Vick
May 25, 2012
Asia Times
The relocation of the Marines is a first step toward a more sustainable US military presence in the Asia-Pacific. Yet policymakers in Washington and Tokyo should not expect this move to eliminate an enduring source of tension in US-Japanese relations, write Stacie L. Pettyjohn and Alan J. Vick.
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Military Budgets and Defense Spending
commentary
DoD Renewable Fuels Investment Premature
Keith Crane
May 24, 2012
National Journal
Technological development challenges suggest that it is highly unlikely that advanced approaches for producing hydrotreated renewable oils suitable for military applications will constitute an important fraction of the commercial fuel market until well beyond the next decade, writes Keith Crane.
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North Atlantic Treaty Organization
commentary
Three Challenges Still Await NATO
Christopher S. Chivvis
May 24, 2012
The RAND Blog and GlobalSecurity.org
Three challenges still await NATO: containing fallout from France's new policy, re-opening the Pakistan supply lines, and the need for Russian cooperation, writes Christopher S. Chivvis.
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Community Resilience
commentary
Medical Records Immune to Tornado in Joplin, Mo.
Mahshid Abir, Arthur L. Kellermann
May 23, 2012
USA Today
Across the country, electronic medical records, designed first and foremost to make health care delivery safer and more efficient, are proving valuable when disaster strikes, write Mahshid Abir and Art Kellermann.
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Health Behaviors
commentary
What's on the Menu? A Status Quo That Needs to Change
Helen Wu
May 23, 2012
The RAND Blog
If we want to make progress on the now-global obesity epidemic, we must challenge the status quo and make unhealthy food the new tobacco, writes Helen Wu.
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International Diplomacy
commentary
Iran's Buying Time—and That's Fine
Alireza Nader
May 22, 2012
ForeignPolicy.com
Khamenei faces a critical choice in the months ahead: make a compromise to lessen tensions with the United States and the international community, or maintain a status quo that may set in motion the demise of his regime, writes Alireza Nader.
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Health Care Access
blog
Attempts by States to Save Money by Locking Medicaid Enrollees out of the ED Are Likely to Backfire
Robin M. Weinick
May 21, 2012
In a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine, we argue that attempts by states to save money by seeking to lock Medicaid enrollees out of the emergency department are likely to backfire. We argue that a better solution is to reverse what for many years has been a trend of shrinking access to primary care for Medicaid beneficiaries.
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Underage Substance Use Prevention
blog
Webcast: Getting to Outcomes in Underage Drinking Prevention
May 21, 2012
In honor of National Underage Drinking Prevention Day, there will be a live, interactive webcast today (May 21) about successful approaches and resources to prevent underage drinking. The issue of underage drinking may sometimes be overshadowed by other forms of substance use, but it remains a steady and significant problem in the United States.
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Health Care Access
commentary
Emergency Departments, Medicaid Costs, and Access to Primary Care—Understanding the Link
Arthur L. Kellermann, Robin M. Weinick
May 18, 2012
New England Journal of Medicine
The fact that many ED (emergency department) visits could be managed in primary care settings does not mean that such care is available, write Arthur L. Kellermann and Robin M. Weinick.
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Russia
commentary
Putin's NATO Dis: Cold Winds from Moscow
F. Stephen Larrabee
May 17, 2012
Chicago Tribune
The decision by President Putin not to attend the NATO summit and the G-8 summit is a blow to the Obama administration's hopes of building closer ties to Russia and underscores that the effort to
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Military Budgets and Defense Spending
commentary
NATO's Shrinking Resources
F. Stephen Larrabee, Peter A. Wilson
May 16, 2012
NYTimes.com on May 16, 2012 and in International Herald Tribune
At a time when the European Union faces mounting economic and political challenges, maintaining a strong, vibrant Atlantic alliance is more important than ever, write F. Stephen Larrabee and Peter A. Wilson.
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United States
commentary
Questions After the First U.S. Bank Takeover by a Chinese State-Controlled Company
Charles Wolf, Jr., Brian G. Chow, Gregory S. Jones, Scott W. Harold @ScottWHarold
May 15, 2012
The RAND Blog and GlobalSecurity.org
In considering foreign application to acquire U.S. companies, the United States needs to consider both risks as well as benefits in both defense and economic dimensions, write Charles Wolf, Jr., Brian Chow, Gregory Jones, and Scott Harold.
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Mental Health Treatment
blog
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Significant Public Health Problem
David M. Adamson
May 14, 2012
In recognition of National Mental Health Month, May 2012, we spotlight posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and RAND's work to advance understanding and treatment of this condition, which affects many more people than is commonly thought.
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China
commentary
Should Boeing Fear the PRC's Aerospace Industry? Not in This Decade but Maybe Later
Chad J. R. Ohlandt
May 14, 2012
Zócalo Public Square
The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China will probably begin producing its first large commercial aircraft later this decade. But the C919 is unlikely to be technologically or commercially competitive when it arrives, writes Chad J. R. Ohlandt.
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Female Populations
commentary
Celebrating Birth Control on Mother's Day? Not as Counterintuitive as It Sounds
Chloe E. Bird @ChloeBirdPhD
May 11, 2012
Ms. Magazine
Reliable birth control contributed to economic development by reducing women's risk of dropping out of school associated with early childbearing and high fertility rates, contributing in turn to increases in women's labor force participation, the continuity of their careers, and the standard of living of women, children and families, writes Chloe Bird.
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Louisiana
commentary
A Flood of Innovation: Louisiana's Coastal Master Plan
Michael D. Rich @michaeldrich
May 11, 2012
RAND Review
RAND President and CEO Michael Rich writes about how RAND computer models and empirical analyses are helping protect and restore the Louisiana coast.
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Counterterrorism
commentary
A Final Word on the NDAA
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
May 7, 2012
Foreign Affairs
While I have no doubt of Levin's determination to protect the constitutional rights of American citizens, incremental adjustments and seemingly small compromises, each sensible under the circumstances, can have a cumulative effect that erodes the very liberty we are trying to protect, writes Brian Michael Jenkins.
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International Diplomacy
commentary
The Next War
Douglas A. Ollivant, Radha Iyengar Plumb
May 7, 2012
Foreign Policy
To prepare for the interventions to come in the next decade, the United States must adapt the lessons from its experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan and use them to generate a new, more realistic, and feasible doctrine, write Radha Iyengar and Douglas A. Ollivant.
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Employer Sponsored Health Insurance
blog
Would the Affordable Care Act Lead to Reductions in Employer-Sponsored Coverage?
May 4, 2012
As the U.S. Supreme Court considers the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) individual mandate, one of the questions being debated is what effect the mandate would have on employer-sponsored health insurance coverage. A factor to consider in this is the effect the ACA would have on small businesses, which employ the majority of America's private-sector workforce.
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Security Cooperation
blog
Examining the Relationship Between China and Iran
May 3, 2012
The partnership between China and Iran presents challenges to U.S. interests, including dissuading Iran from developing a nuclear weapons capability.
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Counterterrorism
commentary
Is the War on Terror Over? Not Yet.
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
May 2, 2012
National Journal
Over time, al Qaeda could just fade away. Always resilient, it may morph to survive. Developments on any of several fronts might even enable it to rise again. In a long contest, surprises must be expected, writes Brian Michael Jenkins.
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International Diplomacy
commentary
Obama Learned from Bush's Mistakes and Successes
James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins
May 2, 2012
U.S. News & World Report, Debate Club
On-the-job training is a necessary element of the American presidency, but so should be learning from the accomplishments, as well as the mistakes, of one's predecessor, writes James Dobbins.
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