An unexpected surgery can cost a worker thousands in medical bills. And in states without paid family and medical leave, they also have to go without a paycheck while recovering. Professors Randy Albelda and Alan Clayton-Matthews explain why paid family and medical leave is important to small businesses, workers, and their families, and how Massachusetts tackled this policy problem with help from their research.

• Read Clayton-Matthews and Albelda's SSN brief, Why Massachusetts Can Afford to Require Paid Family and Medical Leave for All Workers
• Check out this Boston Globe article about the Massachusetts policy