In a WTOP-FM interview, Health Affairs Editor-In-Chief Alan Weil discusses what the US can expect for health policy under the incoming Trump administration.

Weil also discussed an article from the November 2024 issue, School-Entry Vaccine Policies: States’ Responses To Federal Recommendations Varied From Swift To Substantially Delayed, by Anna Larson and co-authors.

As her presidential campaign begins, voters are learning about Vice President Kamala Harris’ record on many issues, including health policy. 

In a WTOP-FM interview, Health Affairs Editor-In-Chief Alan Weil discussed some of her past positions, both in California and Washington. 

He observed that as California’s Attorney General, she was frequently handling “business of health” cases. Vice President Harris, Weil noted, has supported President Biden’s health policy agenda and been an important administration voice on reproductive rights.

In other health policy areas, he expects that we will hear much more about her views between now and Election Day.

Weil concluded his interview by describing a new Health Affairs study, “Adverse Childhood Experiences: Health Care Utilization And Expenditures In Adulthood,” by Thomas Selden and coauthors from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

In a WTOP-FM interview, Health Affairs July issue author Richard Hughes IV, a partner with the Washington, DC law firm of Epstein, Becker, Green discusses his Narrative Matters essay, which reflects on the dangers of politics influencing public health decision making.  

Hughes says that his public health career – in state government, law, academia, and as a public policy executive at a pharmaceutical company – taught him about the complexities involved in making evidence-based policy decisions.  

He notes that during the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine skepticism and misinformation was widespread, fueled by social media, court rulings and political rhetoric. To prepare for future pandemics, Hughes recommends strengthening vaccine policy, making the information available and understandable to even the most vulnerable – and be vigilant in preventing political gamesmanship.

For more information, read the essay, Vaccine Politics.

On June 27, Presidential candidates Joseph Biden and Donald Trump met for a debate. 

In a WTOP-FM interview, Health Affairs Editor-In-Chief Alan Weil noted that health policy was one of the topics most discussed by the two candidates. 

Even before the moderators questioned the candidates about it, Weil said, both candidates raised it in their comments, with Biden emphasizing his administration’s expansion of parts of the Affordable Care Act, and Trump voicing his belief that abortion regulations should be left to the states. 

When questioned about opioid addition, Weil observed that neither candidate directly answered how patients can get treatment.  Another topic Weil mentioned that Trump ignored were questions about climate change.

When asked “what’s new at Health Affairs,” Weil cited a study released ahead of print and also in the July issue of Health Affairs, authored by Jessica Hale and coauthors from the Congressional Budget Office, forecasting health insurance coverage trends for the US population by age for the decade ahead.

For more information, read the article, Health Insurance Coverage Projections For The US Population And Sources Of Coverage, By Age, 2024-34

People who inject drugs face many health challenges, and don’t traditionally engage with the health care system.  Baltimore has the longest-running clean needle exchange program in the nation, reaching clients largely through mobile vans. 

In a WTOP-FM interview, Health Affairs June issue author Omeid Heidari of the University of Washington discussed how during the COVID-19 pandemic, these same vans also offered COVID-19 vaccinations and testing.  

As Heidari explained, the program providers have earned the trust of the population they serve, which resulted in their becoming fully vaccinated at a higher rate than the general Baltimore population.  

According to the author, this program serves as a valuable model for other cities and for colocating other services.

For more information, read the article, Colocating Syringe Services, COVID-19 Vaccination, And Infectious Disease Testing: Baltimore’s Experience

In a WTOP-FM interview, Health Affairs Editor-In-Chief Alan Weil discussed the subject of private equity acquisitions in health care, which have nearly tripled from 2010 to 2020.

Weil observed that these transactions are frequently short-term investments, with a focus on the bottom line, and noted that there are sometimes negative consequences for the patients involved.

With Congress considering legislation to regulate ownership, Weil said that from a patients’ perspective, lawmakers should consider regulations to guarantee quality, such as minimum staffing-to-patient ratios in nursing homes.

He cited a new article on the subject, in the May issue of Health Affairs, where authors Christopher Cai and Zirui Song present several ways to improve oversight and institutional quality.

For more information, read the article, Protecting Patients And Society In An Era Of Private Equity Provider Ownership: Challenges And Opportunities For Policy

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the state of West Virginia offered cash incentives to residents under 35 and a lottery for their older counterparts, in exchange for agreeing to be fully vaccinated.

A new Health Affairs study, authored by researchers from Tulane University, assessed the effectiveness of these programs.  Its senior author, Charles Stoecker, appearing on WTOP-FM, said that the $100 per person cash incentive resulted in a 12-point swing in vaccination rates young adults, and a smaller change for lottery-eligible residents. 

Did West Virginia get “a bang for its buck?” 

According to Stoecker, the state’s investment in the younger residents was, from an economic perspective, more costly and therefore less efficient.  However, he suggested, state health officials at the time may have been likely to conclude that their investment was worth it from a public health perspective.

For more information, read the article, The Impact Of Telemedicine On Utilization, Spending, And Quality, 2019–22

In a WTOP-FM interview, Health Affairs Editor-In-Chief Alan Weil discussed a new study about telemedicine’s use and costs.

As Weil noted, at the beginning of COVID-19, Congress temporarily extended the broad coverage of telemedicine, including flexibilities on where patients are located, through December 2024.

These temporary guidelines are set to expire at the end of 2024, unless Congress reauthorizes them. Weil mentioned that some policy makers feared that the continued wide use of telemedicine would drive up health costs.

However, Weil added, the findings of this new Health Affairs study, which sampled Medicare data, showed this not to be the case. Weil also noted that telehealth has helped to reduce inequities, offering more people access to care.

For more information, read the article, The Impact Of Telemedicine On Utilization, Spending, And Quality, 2019–22

In a WTOP-FM interview, April issue author Constance Guille describes her research showing the benefits of using texting and telephone surveys to screen for perinatal mental health disorders, perinatal substance abuse disorders, and intimate partner violence.

Guille noted that one of the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic is that technology can be used to substitute for in-person interactions – and, in fact, this method of communications makes the patients more comfortable because it feels more confidential, and more likely to seek the help they may need. 

As Guille wrote, her study demonstrates that “text- and telephone-based screening and referral systems may improve rates of screening, identification, and attendance to treatment.”

For more information, read the article, Text And Telephone Screening And Referral Improved Detection And Treatment Of Maternal Mental Health Conditions