Health, Health Care, and Aging

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Treating Mental Health Within Jails Should Start Beyond Jails

In the United States, people with mental health concerns are disproportionately jailed at a staggering rate. It is essential that people have access to the health care they need while incarcerated. But efforts to build up community-based alternatives are essential, too.

Stephanie Brooks Holliday

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Reconstructing Ukraine, Wildfires, Telehealth: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on reconstructing Ukraine, what to do about wildfires, virtual mental health care services, and more.

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Avoiding Common Pitfalls Before Thinking About 'What Good Looks Like' in Digital Transformation of Adult Social Care

When implementing the What Good Looks Like framework to guide digital transformation in adult social care, it will be important not to ignore common problems that often frustrate the introduction and implementation of new technology.

Sarah Parkinson

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State and Local Policy Is Changing for Psychedelics. What Will the Feds Do?

Psychedelics are attracting interest as a treatment for some mental health conditions. In response, some states and cities are changing their laws and policies on the supply and use of these mind-altering substances. But like cannabis, most psychedelics are federally prohibited—raising some tough questions for the federal government.

Beau Kilmer @BeauKilmer, Rajeev Ramchand @RRamchand

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Your Health Insurance May Not Be As Good As Your State Requires—and It's Perfectly Legal

Massachusetts has a law to ensure ease of access to birth control pills, saying there should be no copays and women can fill a 12-month prescription at once. Infertility care has similar protections. But many health plans don't have to comply with state laws because they are “self-insured.”

Shira H. Fischer @ShiraFischer

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Extremist Beliefs Among Veterans, Space Traffic, Teacher Well-Being: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on whether extremist beliefs are more prevalent among veterans, why it's time to manage traffic in outer space, crises facing the Russian military, and more.

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Amid an Epidemic of Loneliness, Nonprofits Are Helping Keep Veterans Connected

Many nonprofit organizations in the United States seek to support veterans and foster social connection. The connections and sense of community these programs are building can help to combat the loneliness epidemic that is affecting veterans and non-veterans alike.

Laura Werber

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The Russian Military's Looming Personnel Crises of Retention and Veteran Mental Heath

Russia's looming troop-retention and veteran-treatment problems are already visible on the horizon, even though they have been delayed by policy. By invading Ukraine, Russia has created a wave of severe trauma that will soon crash over its own country.

Dara Massicot @MassDara

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An Autistic Soldier Wants You to Read This

Despite the recruitment challenges it is currently facing, the Army continues to make personnel decisions based on last century's understanding of neurodivergent diagnoses. The loosening of stigma associated with these diagnoses could improve recruitment, and the Army might reap the benefits of neurodiversity.

Cortney Weinbaum @cortney_dc

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Immigration Policy, the Black-White Wealth Gap, ChatGPT: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the challenges facing U.S. immigration policy, what it would take to close America's Black-white wealth gap, risks and opportunities associated with artificial intelligence, more.

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Extremism, Medicaid, Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Law: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on addressing domestic extremism, managing reductions in Medicaid enrollment, the effects of Florida's “Don't Say Gay” law, and more.

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Public Health's Failure to Communicate with Communities of Color

Misinformation thrived during the pandemic, exacerbating health inequities. To meet its core mission, the public health field needs to engage more actively, particularly in communities it has historically failed to equitably protect.

Joie D. Acosta

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Can the Health Insurance System Handle Massive Medicaid Reductions?

For many who have or will soon lose Medicaid as monthly redeterminations restart, and for millions more who could lose insurance due to other factors like job loss, three recent policy developments might increase the chances that they find new health care coverage.

Christine Eibner @Chrissyeibner

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Reflecting on the Pandemic, RAND Turns 75, Labor Trafficking: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, 75 years of influential RAND research, reducing labor trafficking in the United States, and more.

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The Changing Landscape of Health Literacy During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Viral Transmission of Knowledge and Information Around COVID-19

With the official public health emergency ended, now is a good time to reflect on the changing landscape of health literacy and consider how we can improve health communication in the future.

Julia Bandini, Lucy B. Schulson, et al.