Commentary from RAND Health Care Researchers

Substance Use Harm Reduction
Addressing Federal Conflicts Over Supervised Drug Consumption Sites
Mar 14, 2019
With drug overdose deaths mounting, some American cities are trying to create designated spaces where people who use heroin and other drugs can have their consumption supervised by medical professionals. The Department of Justice argues these sites would violate federal law, but federal decisionmakers have several options.
Opioids
Opioid-Dependent Newborns in My West Virginia Hometown Point to a Path Out of Drug Crisis
Mar 6, 2019
In small, rural towns like Bluefield, West Virginia, economies are hurting, the opioid epidemic is growing, and together they are taking a toll on a surprising population: pregnant women and their babies.
Mental Health Treatment
How a New Tool Could Help Mental Health Providers Deliver More Effective Care
Mar 1, 2019
The mental health workforce needs the proper tools to meet the needs of the communities it serves. A key element of this is high-quality training in how to deliver evidence-based treatments. RAND developed a new tool designed to assess how well a specific training aligns with the most critical features of effective training.
Bioethics
Biology, in the Language of the People
Feb 21, 2019
As technology and the ability to gather ever-growing amounts of data move further into the realms of biology and human performance, communication and transparency become increasingly important. Authors should consider whether they are using the words, examples, and models that connect with a broad audience most effectively.
Illegal Drugs
Opioids and a Crisis of Unintended Consequences
Feb 20, 2019
The pain medicine OxyContin was reformulated in 2010 to make it more difficult to crush or dissolve. But this had unintended consequences, including a rise in hepatitis C infections as drug abusers switched from taking OxyContin to injecting heroin.
Bioethics
Ethics of Germline Editing Must Keep Up with Technology
Jan 10, 2019
Mainstream interest in genome editing is now surging. If this research is to go forward, the science should be well understood by those conducting the research. Best practices and the highest scientific standards should be employed to limit risks and prevent unintended consequences.
Community-Based Health Care
Faith-Based Organizations Promote Well-Being in Underserved Communities
Jan 4, 2019
Kathryn Derose, a senior policy researcher at RAND and an Episcopal deacon, works with Latino and African-American churches to address health issues in their communities. Her research has shown the power of the pulpit to fight health disparities, counter stigma, and encourage healthy living.
Tobacco and Smoking
Vaping May Have Its Place, Just Not With Teens
Dec 17, 2018
While e-cigarettes may be a “safer” option for adult smokers, they are not safe for young people. Teens who vape are significantly more likely to start smoking traditional cigarettes in the future.
Mental Health and Illness
Is Los Angeles County Successfully Creating a Youth Movement Around Mental Health Issues?
Dec 6, 2018
A new community engagement campaign called WhyWeRise seeks to increase awareness of mental health access as a civil rights issue and increase civic engagement. The campaign reached its target audience—people aged 14 to 24—and showed signs of changing attitudes toward mental illness.
Marijuana
Navigating Cannabis Legalization 2.0
Dec 4, 2018
As the next round of states debate marijuana legalization, they would do well to contemplate allowing state governments to control the wholesale prices and linking the price of cannabis to its potency.
Health Insurance Cost Sharing
Medicare for All: Sounds Good, but What Does It Mean?
Nov 19, 2018
Traditional Medicare is popular and therefore can lend a good brand name to coverage expansion proposals, but its limits can be significant for some patients. Those proposing and evaluating “Medicare for All” proposals should consider whether and how these limits are addressed.
Veterans Health Care
How Private Health Care Providers Could Better Serve Veterans
Nov 7, 2018
Almost a third of U.S. veterans live 40 miles or more from the nearest VA medical center, so the VA is trying to make it easier for them to use private providers closer to home. But it will take significant efforts to better prepare civilian doctors to deliver high-quality care to veterans.
Nurses and Nursing
On Nurse Staffing Ballot Measure, Massachusetts Voters Should Look to Evidence from California
Nov 2, 2018
Massachusetts residents will soon vote on the Patient Safety Act, a mandate to increase nurse-to-patient ratios in acute care facilities. Evaluating existing data on the impact of a similar nurse staffing law implemented in California in 2004 may help inform voters as they head to the polls.
Affordable Care Act
All Health Policy Is Local: The Case of the Individual Mandate Penalty in New York
Oct 30, 2018
As with many Affordable Care Act policies, how New York is dealing with the absence of the individual mandate penalty is a potent reminder that all health policy is local.
Health Care Payment Approaches
Misconceptions About 'Medicare for All'
Oct 27, 2018
Medicare for All is a talking point for both major U.S. political parties. Would it be free? Would people have to switch doctors? Would waits be long? Misconceptions abound about single-payer proposals and their likely effects. Here are the facts.
Health Care Costs
Committed to Improving Health Care Policy: Q&A with Jodi Liu
Oct 23, 2018
Jodi Liu, an associate policy researcher at RAND, studies how to deliver high-quality care and how to pay for it. She discusses her assessment of a single-payer health care proposal in New York State and the supply-and-demand challenges that might arise if an Alzheimer's treatment became available.
Health Insurance Mandates
Understanding the Impact of the Elimination of the Individual Mandate Penalty
Aug 10, 2018
Starting in 2019, the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate penalty will be eliminated, effectively ending the law's requirement that most people have health insurance. While declines in coverage and increases in premiums are likely, the magnitudes of these effects are highly uncertain.
Marijuana
Why Children Need to Be Shielded from Marijuana Ads
Jun 18, 2018
By design, advertising is aimed at persuading us to want something. In the case of marijuana, that something is definitely not good for teenagers.
Underage Substance Use
Advertising and Teens in the Era of the 'Blackout Brownie'
May 31, 2018
Exposure to marijuana advertising may play a significant role in shaping teen attitudes about the drug, and contribute to increased marijuana use and related negative consequences throughout adolescence. Restrictions on marijuana advertising similar to those on alcohol and tobacco would likely help limit its exposure to teens.
Marijuana
How Will Cannabis Legalization Affect Alcohol Consumption?
Feb 13, 2018
How will legalization of recreational marijuana affect alcohol consumption? Will drinking go down because people substitute cannabis for alcohol? Or will drinking go up because cannabis and alcohol complement each other? These questions have important implications.

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Commentary from RAND Health Care Researchers

Addressing Federal Conflicts Over Supervised Drug Consumption Sites

Opioid-Dependent Newborns in My West Virginia Hometown Point to a Path Out of Drug Crisis

How a New Tool Could Help Mental Health Providers Deliver More Effective Care

Biology, in the Language of the People

Opioids and a Crisis of Unintended Consequences

Ethics of Germline Editing Must Keep Up with Technology

Faith-Based Organizations Promote Well-Being in Underserved Communities

Vaping May Have Its Place, Just Not With Teens

Is Los Angeles County Successfully Creating a Youth Movement Around Mental Health Issues?

Navigating Cannabis Legalization 2.0

Medicare for All: Sounds Good, but What Does It Mean?

How Private Health Care Providers Could Better Serve Veterans

On Nurse Staffing Ballot Measure, Massachusetts Voters Should Look to Evidence from California

All Health Policy Is Local: The Case of the Individual Mandate Penalty in New York

Misconceptions About 'Medicare for All'

Committed to Improving Health Care Policy: Q&A with Jodi Liu

Understanding the Impact of the Elimination of the Individual Mandate Penalty

Why Children Need to Be Shielded from Marijuana Ads

Advertising and Teens in the Era of the 'Blackout Brownie'

How Will Cannabis Legalization Affect Alcohol Consumption?

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