Commentary from RAND Health Care Researchers

Substance Use Harm Reduction
Beyond Bans: How Cannabis Policy Reform Can Reduce Vaping-Related Illnesses
Mar 27, 2020
Policymakers can wield a multitude of tools to address vaping-related illness. Cannabis policy reform is one option. But policymakers may face challenges in balancing comprehensive regulatory design that promotes product safety with its potential to bolster the illegal and unregulated market.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
The Economic Wallop of COVID-19: Q&A with RAND Experts
Mar 26, 2020
As Washington continues to weigh economic responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, here are insights from RAND experts on how aid money might be best allocated, how this crisis compares to the 2008 recession, what business communities can do right now, and more.
Drug Policy and Trends
Want to Know If a New Drug Crisis Is Growing? Check the Wastewater
Mar 26, 2020
Few people foresaw how quickly fentanyl would displace heroin, doubling or tripling opioid overdose deaths in some pockets of the United States from 2013 to 2017. But we could have been warned—if only we'd checked our wastewater.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
U.S. COVID-19 Cases on the Rise: Q&A with RAND Experts
Mar 18, 2020
COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, is now in all 50 states. And more and more U.S. cases and deaths are being reported. As orders to close schools and restaurants take effect across America, RAND researchers answer some questions about the crisis.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Truth Decay in the Coronavirus Moment: Q&A with Jennifer Kavanagh
Mar 17, 2020
Jennifer Kavanagh, who wrote the RAND book Truth Decay about the diminishing role that facts play in making important public policy decisions, calls the unfolding situation with the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 a worst-case scenario.
Sleep
Why Prioritizing Sleep in the Time of Coronavirus Is So Important
Mar 17, 2020
The coronavirus has required many people to drastically alter their daily schedules, which can wreak havoc on sleep. But there are simple strategies that can help support sleep—and well-being—during this trying time.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Coronavirus, Telemedicine, and Dustbusters
Mar 16, 2020
Telemedicine has been with us for decades. And yet it hasn't transformed health care in the way that ATMs have transformed banking or cordless vacuums have transformed household cleaning. But the coronavirus pandemic could forever change how telemedicine is used.
Postsecondary Education
Coronavirus Forces Colleges Online. Will Learning Ever Be the Same?
Mar 16, 2020
Colleges and universities have turned to online courses to help slow the spread of COVID-19. But distance learning may also hold promise as a long-term strategy to help make higher education more accessible and affordable.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
COVID-19: A Stress Test for a U.S. Health Care System Already Under Stress
Mar 12, 2020
There are many things hospitals and health systems could be doing in the coming weeks to best prepare for the advancing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Evaluating their surge response plans will be critical.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Estimates of COVID-19's Fatality Rate Might Change. And Then Change Again.
Mar 11, 2020
With infections of the new coronavirus confirmed in countries around the world, people are following the daily tally of COVID-19 cases, wondering exactly how lethal this new disease is. The truth is, it's hard to know.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
A Coronavirus Election? Look to the Bottom of the Ticket
Mar 9, 2020
As the coronavirus spreads in communities, it will be mayors, county judges, and school superintendents—not federal officials—who make the tough calls about whether to declare a state of emergency or shutter public schools and other institutions.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Coronavirus Outbreak Intensifies: Q&A with RAND Experts
Mar 5, 2020
Cases of the coronavirus have now spread to several dozens of countries, infecting thousands and thousands of people across the globe. With concerns about the disease rising, we asked a group of RAND researchers to answer a wide range of questions about the crisis.
Residential Housing
Supportive Housing Can Help Keep People with Mental Illness Out of Jail
Feb 27, 2020
Hundreds of thousands of people with serious mental illnesses cycle in and out of American jails every year. In Los Angeles, some of them are getting diverted into a supportive housing program where they can get the treatment they need. And the results are promising.
Social Determinants of Health
Civic Engagement and Keeping the Public Engaged in Public Health
Feb 4, 2020
Civic engagement—activities like voting and volunteering—is essential for the health of democracy. A turn at the ballot box might also improve physical and mental health.
Sleep
Teens Are Driven to Stay Up Late, but Why?
Jan 30, 2020
That adolescents have a biologically driven delay in their sleep-wake schedules is uncontested. In fact, this is observed across cultures, including those with limited access to technology. But why this occurs is a tougher nut to crack. There are many issues pertaining to human biology that remain a mystery even to scientists and physicians.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Is Coronavirus Another SARS?
Jan 28, 2020
The 2002 SARS pandemic infected more than 8,000 people and killed 774. In what ways is the coronavirus outbreak similar? And how is it different?
Substance Abuse
Policies That Punish Pregnant Women for Substance Use Don't Help Mother or Baby
Jan 28, 2020
About half of all U.S. states now have policies that criminalize substance use during pregnancy, consider it grounds for civil commitment, or consider it child abuse or neglect. But research suggests that punitive policies aren't beneficial for infants or their mothers.
Opioids
Fentanyl: The Most Dangerous Illegal Drug in America
Jan 13, 2020
America's fentanyl crisis is unlike previous drug epidemics and is likely to get worse. Deaths involving fentanyl and other synthetic opioids have surged from around 3,000 in 2013 to more than 30,000 in 2018. Solving the problem requires innovative approaches and unprecedented resources.
Patient-Centered Care
Giving Patients a Voice in Medical Guidelines
Dec 31, 2019
Clinical guidelines are the user manuals of modern medicine. They can dictate insurance coverage and help hospitals set quality standards. Yet they often lack the perspective of those who care the most about good treatment: patients and their caregivers. Researchers are working to change that.
Health and Wellness Promotion
How to Avoid the Season of Regret
Dec 20, 2019
The holiday season can bring with it not only the sting of cold air, but also the sting of regret. Regret is a slippery slope for mental health. RAND's Wendy Troxel shares simple, science-backed strategies to dodge year-end regrets.

Browse all Health and Health Care Commentary

Supporting Students' College and Career Pathways: Teacher and Principal Perspectives

Enhancing Security on NATO's Northern Flank: Options for Norway

Force Planning in the New Era of Strategic Competition

Beyond Bans: How Cannabis Policy Reform Can Reduce Vaping-Related Illnesses

Assessment of COVID-19's Impact on Small and Medium-Sized Businesses

The Policy Currents Podcast

Helping Children Cope with Trauma: A School-Based Intervention

Planning for the Rising Costs of Dementia

Addressing the Invisible Wounds of War

Helping Coastal Communities Plan for Climate Change

Commentary from RAND Health Care Researchers

Beyond Bans: How Cannabis Policy Reform Can Reduce Vaping-Related Illnesses

The Economic Wallop of COVID-19: Q&A with RAND Experts

Want to Know If a New Drug Crisis Is Growing? Check the Wastewater

U.S. COVID-19 Cases on the Rise: Q&A with RAND Experts

Truth Decay in the Coronavirus Moment: Q&A with Jennifer Kavanagh

Why Prioritizing Sleep in the Time of Coronavirus Is So Important

Coronavirus, Telemedicine, and Dustbusters

Coronavirus Forces Colleges Online. Will Learning Ever Be the Same?

COVID-19: A Stress Test for a U.S. Health Care System Already Under Stress

Estimates of COVID-19's Fatality Rate Might Change. And Then Change Again.

A Coronavirus Election? Look to the Bottom of the Ticket

Coronavirus Outbreak Intensifies: Q&A with RAND Experts

Supportive Housing Can Help Keep People with Mental Illness Out of Jail

Civic Engagement and Keeping the Public Engaged in Public Health

Teens Are Driven to Stay Up Late, but Why?

Is Coronavirus Another SARS?

Policies That Punish Pregnant Women for Substance Use Don't Help Mother or Baby

Fentanyl: The Most Dangerous Illegal Drug in America

Giving Patients a Voice in Medical Guidelines

How to Avoid the Season of Regret

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