Public Health | Econofact

The Paradox of Medical Costs During the Pandemic

By Jeff Levin-Scherz and Trevis Parson·June 30, 2020
Harvard T.H. Chan School Of Public Health and Harvard Medical School and Willis Towers Watson

The Issue:

As COVID-19 began to rapidly spread in the United States, many experts suggested that medical costs would rise substantially due to the pandemic. They projected high costs from long and expensive hospitalizations for those seriously affected by the virus, especially in hot-spots throughout the country.

Disparities in Access to Health Care During a Pandemic

By Chloe East and Michelle Marcus·May 27, 2020
University of Colorado Denver and Vanderbilt University

The Issue:

The coronavirus crisis has shone a spotlight on existing disparities in access to health care in the United States and on the implications that this uneven access can have in the context of an infectious disease pandemic. Immigrants, especially non-citizens, are less likely to be insured than natives.

COVID-19 Impact on Indigenous Peoples in the U.S.

By Randall Akee·May 12, 2020
University of California, Los Angeles

The Navajo Nation estimates that up to 30% of the population must haul water because they are not served by piped water systems.

The Issue:

There is emerging evidence that many disadvantaged communities in the United States are being disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Native American communities share some

Lives vs. Livelihoods? Lessons from the Ebola Epidemic

By Stephen A. O' Connell·April 5, 2020
Swarthmore College

The Issue:

Save lives or save livelihoods? Social distancing measures can take a heavy economic toll, by interrupting normal economic activity and imposing a short-run tradeoff between improving the health of the population and hurting the economy. Over time, this tradeoff can be defeated by intervening aggressively

Policy Responses to the Economic Consequences of Coronavirus

By Megan Greene and Michael Klein·March 17, 2020
Harvard Kennedy School, and The Fletcher School, Tufts University

The Issue:

Coronavirus presents economic challenges as well as adverse consequences for public health. Interruptions to regular business activity through people sheltering at home, limiting both the supply of workers and the demand for goods and services, coupled with panic in financial markets, almost certainly

Lessons From the 1918 Flu Pandemic

By Phillip Levine and Robin McKnight·March 17, 2020
Wellesley College

The Issue:

Much remains unknown and uncertain about the nature of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, its trajectory, and the effectiveness of different strategies to slow its progression. While the current situation is in many ways uncharted territory, given the differences specific to the disease and the many

Do State-Level Policies Impact Maternal Mortality?

By Summer Sherburne Hawkins and Christopher F. Baum·February 24, 2020
Boston College

The Issue:

Women in the United States die from pregnancy-related causes every year at a much higher rate than in most other high-income countries. But geographic location within the country impacts what conditions and policies women experience. And the mortality rate from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth

Clearing the Air on the Costs of Pollution

By Nicholas J. Sanders·October 18, 2019
Cornell University

The Issue:

The United States has made a lot of headway in improving air quality since the initial Clean Air Act, the first drastic regulation of air pollution in the United States. While such a program has visible costs — such as decreased manufacturing employment, sectoral reallocation, and increased production

Could Expanding Access to Contraception Improve Economic Outcomes?

By Andrea M. Kelly, Jason Lindo and Analisa Packham·August 20, 2019
Texas A&M University and Vanderbilt University

The Issue:

Policies that gave women greater ability to control childbearing during the 1960s and 1970s have been linked to increased educational attainment, higher wages and greater labor force participation for women. This, in turn, improved their lifelong earnings and the living conditions of their children.