Dear John,

The December issue of Health Affairs features contributions from researchers worldwide, analyzing the policies and programs implemented by various nations throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting their trade-offs, and offering a forward-looking approach toward preparedness for future health crises.

The issue kicks off with a review by Mark Jit and colleagues reflecting on epidemiological modeling used to inform policies in Western Europe throughout the pandemic.

The authors highlight the similarities and differences between models, how they were used to inform policy, and lessons for future pandemics including the need for sustainable data collections systems and greater engagement between modelers, policy makers, and the public. 

From Germany, Lasse Falk and coauthors explore the complex relationship between objective and subjective measures of the stringency of COVID-19 lockdown policies in seven European countries.

Their findings illustrate a diverse array of factors influencing individual perceptions and shed light on how lockdown policies may inadvertently worsen existing inequalities.

From Argentina, Adolfo Rubinstein and coauthors illustrate the trade-off between the epidemiological and sociological impacts of public health and social measures in Argentina, Brazil, Jamaica, and Mexico using an integrated epidemiological-economic model.

Their findings are reinforced by a qualitative exploratory study by Cristian A. Herrara and colleagues, who explore the impact of service disruptions through the perspective of health care system decision makers and managers. 

A systematic review by Rory Smith et al. examines the effectiveness of various measures implemented by governments, public health authorities, and social media platforms to counter misinformation.

 
Ashley Fox and coauthors consider twin barriers to vaccine access in low- and middle-income countries: accessibility and vaccine hesitancy. 

Sarah Curtis

Project Management Specialist, Health Affairs

The Health Equity Fellowship for Trainees (HEFT) is a part of Health Affairs’ national initiative to advance equity in health policy and health services scholarly publishing.

The purpose of the Fellowship is to increase the quantity and quality of manuscripts published by early-career researchers interested in addressing health inequities among underserved racial and ethnic populations, while cultivating future health equity research leaders.

In the program, fellows will receive multilayered mentorship from experienced Health Affairs authors and editorial staff for eighteen months (July 2024–December 2025).

Mentors will work with fellows to make fellows’ manuscript submissions more likely to be accepted by Health Affairs or another journal. Manuscript submissions must be related to addressing health inequities among underserved populations.

Applications for the 2024–2025 Health Equity Fellowship for Trainees cohort are now open from December 4, 2023–February 15, 2024.

Please share this opportunity with your networks.

We’re pleased to announce the continuation of our Forefront Series “Medicare and Medicaid Integration.” This series features policy analysis, proposals, and commentary that we hope will elevate the issues for our audience and inform policies on the state and federal levels to advance integrated care for those dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.
 
Begun in early 2022, the series has already featured over two dozen articles by various authors discussing the advancement of integrated care for dual-eligible individuals, the CAPABLE Program, proposals for Medicaid managed care rules, and many related topics.
 
Thanks to ongoing support from Arnold Ventures, we are able to reissue our call for submissions for this series. We will accept submissions until October 31, 2024.  
 
Questions, including those about the suitability of a particular topic, can be sent to [email protected]. 

How States Can Reduce Coverage Loss Among Children During The Medicaid Unwinding

Jennifer M. Haley and Eva H. Allen

PrEP Coverage Should Follow Clinical Guidelines, Not Pharmaceutical Agenda: A Response To Hughes

Amy Killelea and Jeremiah Johnson

Remote Primary Care Inpatient Consults Can Improve Continuity Of Care

Alex Kazberouk and Robert M. Wachter

Learning From COVID-19 To Overcome System Hesitancies In Public Health Preparedness And Response

David M. Hartley et al.

The 2024-2025 Health Equity Fellowship For Trainees: Applications Now Open

Patrick Odai-Afotey

Why Dropping Most COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates Is Now Ethical

Nir Eyal et al.

Health Affairs Reads: An Insider’s View Of The Pandemic Response In The UK And Globally

Margaret K. Saunders

Health Affairs Reads: Sounding The Alarm On Anti-Science

Margaret Winchester

Behind the Pages: Global Lessons From COVID-19

Download America’s Health Rankings’ 2023 Annual Report

A new report from America’s Health Rankings found that rates of eight chronic conditions have reached the highest levels in the report’s history. Learn more about this trend and others revealed by the data. 

Sponsored by United Health Foundation

Throughout December, join us for the following events:

• December 13: Lunch and Learn: The Global Impacts of PEPFAR and Consequences of Deprioritization
• December 19: Journal Club: “Substantial Disparities In COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake And Unmet Immunization Demand In Low- And Middle-Income Countries”