Commentary from RAND Health Care Researchers

Health Care Reform
Out of the Ashes: Forging the Post-Pandemic U.S. Health System
Jul 31, 2020

With shifting insights, new problems, and exacerbation of old problems revealed by the pandemic, innovative solutions in the U.S. health system are being adopted where rapid change would normally have been rare. There is both an opportunity and a responsibility to assess how these changes are working and where they can improve health, reduce inequity, and save money.
Incarceration
An Uncertain Future for Jail Reform in Los Angeles
Jul 21, 2020

There is momentum in Los Angeles County to do the difficult work of criminal justice reform. This will take considerable investments of time and resources, as well as a commitment to implementing new strategies and evaluating their effectiveness along the way.
Work-Family Conflicts
Back to School: Working Parents Will Need Help from Employers
Jul 17, 2020

Reopening schools would provide much-needed child care for parents who need to work, help feed 30 million U.S. children, and prevent further inequitable learning losses. But it also means exposing more kids to the virus. How can families and employers prepare for the disruptions that lie ahead?
Macroeconomics
Balancing Public Health and Economic Effects of Physical Distancing: Q&A with Jonathan Welburn
Jul 13, 2020

Jonathan Welburn, an operations researcher at RAND, has spent years studying how economic shocks ripple outward like a contagion through the economy. He recently helped develop an online tool that policymakers can use to manage the health and economic effects of COVID-19 interventions.
Patient-Centered Care
Patients Should Have a Role in Deciding the Value of Medicines
Jul 10, 2020

Patients, their family members, and the general public have historically been excluded from contributing to health care value assessment models. But methods for including patient voices in research are far less complicated or demanding than some researchers believe they will be.
Community Resilience
Stress Accumulates in Marginalized Communities, Generation After Generation
Jul 8, 2020

Psychologists and biologists have known for years that prolonged stress is toxic to the human body. A better understanding of how stress builds in communities—and the burden it puts on them—can lead to more effective policies to address it.
Domestic Violence
Preventing Homelessness Among Survivors of Domestic Abuse
Jul 2, 2020

Without assistance, domestic violence survivors are more likely to be forced into homelessness. Now could be the time to invest in programs that help victims—before a second wave of COVID-19 cases pushes more families into unsafe environments.
Health Care Payment Approaches
Why States' 'Netflix Model' Prescription Drug Arrangements Are No Silver Bullet
Jul 1, 2020

Despite the buzz and catchy notion that subscription models are "Netflix for drugs," it's hard to come up with a theoretical case that supports subscription models over traditional price negotiation between payers and manufacturers over a per-dose or per-unit price.
Health Care Services Capacity
COVID Could Surge Anywhere. This Tool Helps Hospitals Prepare
Jul 1, 2020

The number of new coronavirus cases is growing in most states. As the pandemic continues to strain U.S. health care systems, a tool developed by RAND researchers can help hospitals prepare for the worst.
Substance Use Harm Reduction
Revoking the 'License to Drink': Emerging Evidence on Mandatory Sobriety
Jun 29, 2020

After counties in South Dakota implemented a 24/7 sobriety program, repeat arrests for impaired driving decreased in the counties by an average of 12%. North Dakota implemented a similar program and also saw decreases in impaired driving. Can the same results be achieved outside of the Dakotas?
Vaccination
Once a Vaccine Is Ready, Getting People to Take It May Be a Challenge
Jun 9, 2020

With COVID-19 vaccine development well underway, implementation of a vaccination program warrants attention. Vaccine effectiveness demands a certain percentage uptake. But since health care delivery in the United States is fragmented, a coherent federal intervention may be necessary.
Health Care Technology
Innovations During COVID-19: Silver Lining or Threat to Patient Safety?
Jun 1, 2020

We still don't know what works best to treat COVID-19. Some of the ideas and innovations are outstanding, but they are, so far, untested. There is an urgent need to evaluate ongoing innovations to learn what works and what doesn't, and what may have costs that are acceptable only under crisis conditions.
Health Care Reform
Options for Designing a Public Option
May 28, 2020

State and federal policymakers are considering adding state-backed public options to the individual market in an effort to expand health coverage and improve affordability. We analyzed what would happen if public options became available in U.S. health insurance exchanges.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Modeling the Future of COVID-19: Q&A with RAND Experts
May 26, 2020

The phrase “flatten the curve” familiarized millions of Americans with epidemiological models used to estimate virus transmission, cases, and potential deaths from COVID-19. But new models are needed as the country enters a different stage of the crisis, one in which changed behaviors must be taken into account.
Vaccination
Vaccination and Coronavirus: Where the Public Good Clashes with Choice and Freedom
May 22, 2020

With scientists striving for a viable coronavirus vaccine, and public health officials considering its potential rollout, do calls for freedom of choice and anti-vaccination sentiments, as seen in recent televised protests, represent a worrying omen?
HIV and AIDS
RAND's Response to a Past Pandemic: HIV/AIDS
May 19, 2020

In the 1980s, HIV/AIDS killed 90 percent of those infected. RAND was at the forefront of the research response, providing key data on costs of care, barriers to access, and the disease's effects on quality of life. RAND continues to pursue ways to ease HIV's impact in the United States and Africa.
Decisionmaking
Relaxing COVID-19 Restrictions Presents Stark Choices
May 18, 2020

RAND's new COVID-19 interventions impact tool uses epidemiological and economic models and continually refreshed data to estimate what could happen as restrictions are eased. The tool won't make the choices confronting state leaders less painful. But it can provide clear, evidence-based estimates of the health and economic trade-offs.
Civilian Military Workforce
Civilians Returning from War Zones Need More Support
May 18, 2020

Deployed civilians often work alongside the military in combat zones or other high-stress, high-risk areas. But when they return, their experience is much different. They come home to support that is often incomplete and insufficient, and sometimes entirely nonexistent.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Global Challenges to Maintaining a Healthy Workforce During a Pandemic: Views from RAND Experts
May 15, 2020

As nations across the globe remain in lockdown to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, questions about the future of employment and workforce productivity emerge. During a recent webinar, RAND experts discussed how to get people back to work and improve productivity post COVID-19.
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Populations
Public Health Lessons on Intimate Partner Violence Tucked into Tiger King
May 15, 2020

Substantial work has been done to figure out how best to address intimate partner violence, but with limited attention regarding how best to meet the unique needs of gay, lesbian, and bisexual victims. The popularity of Netflix's Tiger King, and its depiction of intimate partner violence between Joe Exotic and his two husbands, could help to focus attention on a very real, and often hidden, problem.

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Commentary from RAND Health Care Researchers

Out of the Ashes: Forging the Post-Pandemic U.S. Health System

An Uncertain Future for Jail Reform in Los Angeles

Back to School: Working Parents Will Need Help from Employers

Balancing Public Health and Economic Effects of Physical Distancing: Q&A with Jonathan Welburn

Patients Should Have a Role in Deciding the Value of Medicines

Stress Accumulates in Marginalized Communities, Generation After Generation

Preventing Homelessness Among Survivors of Domestic Abuse

Why States' 'Netflix Model' Prescription Drug Arrangements Are No Silver Bullet

COVID Could Surge Anywhere. This Tool Helps Hospitals Prepare

Revoking the 'License to Drink': Emerging Evidence on Mandatory Sobriety

Once a Vaccine Is Ready, Getting People to Take It May Be a Challenge

Innovations During COVID-19: Silver Lining or Threat to Patient Safety?

Options for Designing a Public Option

Modeling the Future of COVID-19: Q&A with RAND Experts

Vaccination and Coronavirus: Where the Public Good Clashes with Choice and Freedom

RAND's Response to a Past Pandemic: HIV/AIDS

Relaxing COVID-19 Restrictions Presents Stark Choices

Civilians Returning from War Zones Need More Support

Global Challenges to Maintaining a Healthy Workforce During a Pandemic: Views from RAND Experts

Public Health Lessons on Intimate Partner Violence Tucked into Tiger King

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