Healthcare Policy

Single hospital bed in an abandoned hallway

Half of low-income communities have no ICU beds

A new Penn study says policies that facilitate hospital coordination are urgently needed to mitigate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

African American person in a crowd at a demonstration confronts a line of state police with riot gear.

Police violence, structural racism, and the science of reform

Co-sponsored by LDI and the Penn Injury Science Center, a virtual seminar on Policing, Race and Health: Prospects for Reform kicks off what will be a continuing series of conversations on the topic over the next year.

Stethoscope laying on top of financial spreadsheets

Spending on charity care stalled as Medicaid expanded

A new study shows increased coverage for lower-income patients did not lead to more community benefit spending from hospitals between 2011 and 2017.

health care worker listens to the heartbeat of a patient with a stethoscope.

After opioid overdose emergency, few patients receive timely follow-up

For people with diagnosed opioid use disorder, timely follow-up care after leaving the hospital can save lives. But a recent national study showed that just 16% of privately insured patients obtain that essential care.

A cautionary tale about Medicaid work requirements

A historical analysis of welfare requirements show large spillover effects among those not actually subject to such work requirements.

How the pandemic is changing medicine

PIK Professor Jonathan D. Moreno and the Law School’s Stephen N. Xenakis wrote that the pandemic could change many countries’ approaches to public health. “The battle against the virus presents an opportunity to recalibrate our health care system as well as advance our practices,” they wrote.

How will COVID-19 leave its mark on health care?

Amol Navathe of the Perelman School of Medicine says the American health care system has demonstrated its adaptability during the past three months and called for both a new financial model and greater investments in technology.

How health insurers can be heroes. Really

Amol Navathe of the Perelman School of Medicine and PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel called for health insurers to support customers by cutting premiums and co-payments, help hospitals and doctors by switching to a fixed-fee model, and work with public health officials to expand COVID-19 testing and establish contact tracing.

Bike food delivery courier wearing a protective face mask while riding through NYC empty streets

Is the U.S. winning the war against COVID-19?

Ezekiel J. Emanuel, vice provost for global initiatives, gave a sobering update on how the United States is doing in the fight against COVID-19, saying the country needs to be prepared to battle the new coronavirus for about 18 months.

Imagining a justice-based health system

Jennifer Prah Ruger of the School of Social Policy & Practice was interviewed about health inequity in the time of the coronavirus. “We need to recognize, now more than ever, given this latest pandemic, that [science] is a major area for investment going forward,” she said.

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