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Health Equity

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Health equity is fair and just access to health resources, protection from health hazards, and health decisionmaking. RAND research aims to understand the causes of disparities in health outcomes, health care access, and health care quality, and to identify opportunities to reduce these disparities.

Research Brief
How Does Telehealth Affect Health Care Quality, Access, Equity, and Costs?
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, health care providers pivoted to telehealth out of necessity. As policymakers look beyond the pandemic, concerns about telehealth's effects on health care spending and quality persist.
May 11, 2023
Commentary
Research Shows How Communities Are Prioritizing Health Equity
In partnership with RAND, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is tracking how communities are evolving their approaches to building a Culture of Health and advancing health equity. The research offers insights on how and why inequities develop, and more importantly, how communities change course and move towards health equity.
Feb 1, 2023

Explore Health Equity

Journal Article
Neighborhood Walkability, Neighborhood Social Health, and Self-Selection Among U.S. Adults
Neighborhood walkability may promote specific aspects of neighborhood social health, which together are beneficial for physical and mental health. These findings provide additional impetus for enhancing walkability of US communities.
Jun 22, 2023
Journal Article
Association Between Insurance Type and Fluoride Varnish Application During Well-Child Visits in Massachusetts
We compare rates of fluoride varnish (FV) applications during well-child visits for children covered by Medicaid and private medical insurance in Massachusetts.
Jun 22, 2023
Journal Article
Rural Disparities in the Quality of Clinical Care Are Notable and Larger for Males
This study extends evidence of pronounced rural-urban differences in clinical care. It shows that quality gaps in clinical care for rural MA enrollees are often larger for males than females.
Jun 22, 2023
Journal Article
Advance Care Planning Among Sexual Minority Men: Sociodemographic, Health Care, and Health Status Predictors
There is a dearth of contemporary information about advance care planning among sexual minority men, a population with disparities in health care and health status. We sought to address some of these gaps in a large, longitudinal cohort.
Jun 21, 2023
Journal Article
Evaluation of Approaches to Recruitment of Racially and Ethnically Diverse Breast Cancer Patients from an Integrated Health Care Setting for Collection of Observational Social Network Data
We compared approaches to recruitment of diverse women with breast cancer in a study of social networks. Mailed letter was the best approach to recruit diverse women with breast cancer and collection of social network data.
Jun 14, 2023
Testimony
Geographic Availability of Substance Use Disorder Treatment for Veterans
Far too many Americans, and especially veterans, fail to receive treatment for substance use disorder. Improved data collection on the availability and accessibility of treatment could help increase the number of veterans who get treatment and prevent unnecessary drug overdose deaths.
Jun 14, 2023
News Release
State Policies During COVID Associated with Increase in Tele-Mental Health; Disparities in Access to Care Persist Despite Expansion
Four state policies introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic to spur expansion of telehealth were associated with expansion of such services by mental health facilities, but growth of telehealth was lower among facilities in counties with the greatest proportion of Black residents.
Jun 13, 2023
Report
Evaluation of California's Statewide Mental Health Campaigns
This report describes surveys of a representative sample of California adults to understand the reach and impact of the California Mental Health Services Authority's mental health prevention and early intervention campaigns.
Jun 13, 2023
Journal Article
Feasibility of a Computer-Assisted Social Network Motivational Interviewing Intervention to Reduce Substance Use and Increase Supportive Connections Among Emerging Adults Transitioning from Homelessness to Housing
Results suggest that a substance use intervention using Motivational Interviewing and social network visualizations is acceptable to youth transitioning to housing from and can be feasibly delivered by case managers during case management sessions.
Jun 13, 2023
Journal Article
Preparing for the Next Pandemic: Has COVID-19 Changed American Attitudes?
This study explores how personal experiences of Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, attitudes about institutions (government and business), and views of social change could either pose challenges or help with planning for the next pandemic.
Jun 7, 2023
Journal Article
Geographical Access to Specialized Behavioral Health Treatment Programs for U.S. Active Duty Service Members and Military Families from Military Installations
The purpose of this study is to determine geographical access to specialized behavioral health programs tailored to active duty U.S. service members and military families from military installations.
Jun 1, 2023
Report
Birth-Centered Outcomes Research Engagement (B-CORE) in Medi-Cal: Community-Generated Recommendations to Decrease Maternal Mortality and Severe Maternal Morbidity
The B-CORE project, described in this report, applied the deliberative democracy method to engage affected community members in problem-solving focused on maternal health inequities in California.
May 31, 2023
Journal Article
History of Incarceration Is Associated with Unmet Socioeconomic Needs and Structural Discrimination Among Young Black Sexual Minority Men (SMM) in the United States
This study aimed to assess the prevalence and association between unmet socioeconomic and structural needs and history of incarceration among young Black sexual minority men.
May 24, 2023
Journal Article
Unmet Social Needs Are Associated with Lower Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Medication Among a Sample of Black People Living with HIV (PLHIV)
This study examined the prevalence and typology of unmet needs and the association between unmet needs and HIV antiretroviral therapy medication adherence among a sample of Black people living with HIV in Los Angeles, CA.
May 24, 2023
Journal Article
Disparities in Postoperative Opioid Prescribing by Race and Ethnicity: An Electronic Health Records-Based Observational Study from Northern California, 2015-2020
To examine racial and ethnic disparities in postoperative opioid prescribing.
May 24, 2023
Blog
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.
May 19, 2023
News Release
Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder Rises After Medicare Expands Coverage for Methadone
The use of methadone among Medicare beneficiaries to treat opioid use disorder increased sharply after the program began covering the drug, with evidence suggesting the change created new treatment rather than displacing use of other medications.
May 19, 2023
Journal Article
What Is Associated with Changes in Food Security Among Low-Income Residents of a Former Food Desert?
We compared study participants in a former food desert neighborhood whose food security improved to those whose food security did not improve across survey waves. Distance to major food shopping store was positively associated with food security.
May 16, 2023
Commentary
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.
May 12, 2023

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Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Jessica Randazzo

Statistical Analyst

Jessica Randazzo (she/her) is a statistical analyst at the RAND Corporation. She conducts statistical analyses to address a variety of research questions in the areas of health policy, social determinants of health, synthetic data, social justice, and military health. Jessica has extensive…
Marcela Horvitz-Lennon

Senior Physician Policy Researcher

Marcela Horvitz-Lennon is a senior physician scientist at the RAND Corporation and a core faculty member of the Pardee RAND Graduate School. She is also an associate professor of psychiatry (part-time) at Harvard Medical School, a senior scientist at the Health Equity Research Laboratory,…

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