Newsmakers

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 Preside...

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 pharmaceut...

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 e...

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 va...

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 l...

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 p...

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 reautho...

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 interacti...