Dear John,

Join us on Wednesday, June 5, for our theme issue briefing on Reimagining Public Health. Authors featured in this special issue of Health Affairs will present their work, engage in discussions, and answer questions on this important topic.

In their Ahead of Print article, Michelle Mello of Stanford University and coauthors assess how public health legal powers have become increasingly constrained during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Using federal and state court decisions between March 2020 and March 2023, the authors determine that legal challenges made against public health officials indicated deference to religion, destabilized vaccination law, and strong pushback against agency discretion.

Mello and coauthors conclude that “courts often disrupted long-held assumptions about the scope of public health powers.”

To gain access to our ahead-of-print articles and forty years' worth of health policy research, subscribe to our journal!

Equity Through Episode-Based Payment: Features Of The Transforming Episode Accountability Model

Joshua M. Liao et al.

Recent Developments In No Surprises Act Implementation

Sheela Ranganathan

Pregnancy, Parenting, And Prison: The Dire Need For Reform In The Post-Dobbs Era

Ella van Deventer et al.

In a Health Policy Brief released this month, Amy Sheon and Elaine Khoong write about the linkages between digital inclusion and health equity. 

Digital inclusion determines access to health care services and jobs and shapes educational attainment. 

Digital inclusion also overlaps with structural disparities. Evidence suggests that “neighborhood internet subscription rates vary by historic redlining status,” and that financial barriers shape digital exclusion.

Khoong and Sheon outline four pillars of digital inclusion, including “available, affordable high-speed internet service; devices; digital skills and training; and applications, online content, and technical support.”

The researchers call for increased investments in broadband infrastructure and the development of digital policy that includes the health sector.

It is Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Month, and we are proud to elevate AANHPIs who work to advance health equity and policy.

In a December 2023 article, Malvikha Manoj and coauthors assess the COVID-19 Health Justice Policy Tracker, a tool they developed that catalogues national policies to address COVID-19 across six vulnerable population groups in forty countries.

The June 2024 issue of Health Affairs focuses on the topic: "Reimagining Public Health."

In this issue, contributors set out to answer an important question: What might it look like to reimagine public health care and the systems that support the health of the community?

You are invited to join us on Wednesday, June 5, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Eastern), for a virtual forum at which authors will present their work, engage in discussions, and answer questions on important issues.