Brookings: Topics - Public Health

The Costs of Containing H1N1

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:39:10 GMT

The Center on Social and Economic Dynamics at Brookings has released a comprehensive report on the economic impact of closing schools and day care centers to help mitigate the infection rate of the H1N1 virus. Center director Joshua Epstein highlights some of the study’s findings and notes that the cost for such closures could be substantial.

The Scouting Report: Flu Contagion in Schools

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:30:00 GMT

Event Information:

October 21, 2009, 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM

As the nation and the world continue to grapple with H1N1, and while delivery of the vaccine in the United States faces delays, school closures are one policy tool under consideration to slow spread of the pandemic. Ross Hammond, co-author of a recent report that quantified the economic effects of school closures, and Fred Barbash, Politico senior editor, answered questions in a live web chat about the implications and potential costs of this approach.

The Scouting Report Web Chat: Flu Contagion in Schools

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

As the nation and the world continue to grapple with H1N1, and while delivery of the vaccine in the United States faces delays, school closures are one policy tool under consideration to slow spread of the pandemic. Ross Hammond, co-author of a recent report that quantified the economic effects of school closures, and Fred Barbash, Politico senior editor, took questions in a live web chat about the implications and potential costs of this approach.

Battleground or Common Ground? American Public Opinion on Health Care Reform

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

To dig deeper into what the American public really thinks about health care, experts at Brookings and WorldPublicOpinion.org gathered and interpreted polling research about public attitudes toward reform of the country’s health care system. Their results offer a new and complex portrait of how Americans view health care reform and the policy debate surrounding the polarizing issue.

Social Science Rising: A Tale of Evidence Shaping Policy

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In this policy brief, a companion to the volume of The Future of Children devoted to child maltreatment prevention, the authors examine evaluations of home-visiting programs designed to improve parenting and reduce child maltreatment and how policy makers are using social science evidence to identify and support successful programs.

Can Parent Training Reduce Abuse, Enhance Development, and Save Money?

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This policy brief, a companion to the volume of The Future of Children devoted to child maltreatment prevention, the authors examine evaluations of home-visiting programs designed to improve parenting and reduce child maltreatment and how policy makers are using social science evidence to identify and support successful programs.

H1N1 Containment: Economic Cost and Workforce Effects of School Closures

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Policymakers are looking at school closures to contain the spread of an H1N1 influenza outbreak. In the first comprehensive U.S. study of the economic cost of school and daycare center closures, the Center on Social and Economic Dynamics at Brookings finds that closing all schools in the United States for four weeks could cost up to $47 billion and lead to a reduction of up to 17% in key health care personnel.

Bending the Curve: A Comparative Review of the Senate Finance Committee Reform Proposal

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In early September, the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform released a report, Bending the Curve: Effective Steps to Address Long-Term Spending Growth, to help inform the current debate. A new brief provides a high-level review of the legislation introduced by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, including a side-by-side summary of key provisions of the Bending the Curve report and those in the Baucus proposal.

The Challenges for Health Reform

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

At a recent Congressional Health Care Caucus policy forum, Engelberg Center Director Mark McClellan discussed some of the unanswered questions and challenges facing health care reform, noting that there has been little public engagement on several key issues that need to be addressed, including major reforms within health insurance markets, and the need for fundamental changes to support better lifestyle choices.

Conference on Clinical Cancer Research

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:30:00 GMT

Event Information:

September 14, 2009, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM

The 2009 Conference on Clinical Cancer Research, hosted by the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform and Friends of Cancer Research, brought together distinguished members of the cancer community for in-depth discussions of critical issues at the intersection of clinical research and policy. The event featured presentations by National Cancer Institute Director John Neiderhuber and FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, as well as panel discussions focusing on optimal data collection for clinical trials, development and approval of targeted therapies, and development of combination therapies targeting multiple pathways.

How Computer Modeling Can Stem the Spread of Influenza

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:35:02 GMT

Experts are bracing for an extremely high H1N1 flu infection rate this fall and winter. Joshua Epstein says computer modeling can help the medical community and policy-makers predict which populations are most susceptible to infection, how great the infection rate will be and how to stem the spread of the virus.

Bending the Curve: Effective Steps to Address Long-Term Health Care Spending Growth

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Reducing the growth of health care spending must be a top priority for health care reform. With this goal in mind, a group of leading health policy experts, including Engelberg Center Director Mark McClellan, has released a set of concrete, feasible steps that show promise for both slowing spending growth and improving quality and value in health care.

Modelling to Contain Pandemics

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Joshua M. Epstein explains that agent-based computational models can capture irrational behaviour, complex social networks and global scale — all essential in confronting H1N1.

Show Me the Money: Options for Financing Health Reform

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

At the Alliance for Health Reform’s recent briefing on health care financing, Engelberg Center Director Mark McClellan focused on a new path forward to health reform, based on his work with the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Health Care Reform: What Will It Take to Change Americans' Lifestyles?

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Proponents have high hopes for health care reform, but legislation is unlikely to alter personal behavior. What is needed today, writes Darrell West, is serious thinking about how to get Americans to lead healthier lifestyles. If we want health care reform to reduce costs and improve good health, we need a public education campaign emphasizing exercise, balanced diets and healthier living.

The Health Care Disconnect

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Washington’s arguments on new health care reform appear far removed from the public’s needs, writes Darrell West. He argues that the clashes on the so-called public option do not satisfy the most important concern consumers have: that their current care will not suffer.

Complex Systems Modeling for Obesity Research

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Obesity has grown rapidly into a major public health challenge in the United States and worldwide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that as many as one-third of Americans are obese. Ross Hammond explains how techniques from the field of complexity science can inform both scientific study of obesity and effective policies to combat it.

The Economic Impact of Health Care Reform

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

June 02, 2009, 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM

On June 2, Christina Romer, chair of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, joined Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform director Mark McClellan, Harvard economist David Cutler and former Congressional Budget Office director Douglas Holtz-Eakin to discuss the economic case for health care reform and its potential impact on the U.S. economy.

Containing the Spread of Swine Flu and Other Diseases through Dynamic Modeling

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:46:00 GMT

With cases of swine flu rising in the United States and around the world, health officials are taking action to contain the spread and severity of the disease. Brookings Fellow Ross Hammond discussed the artificial society models he has helped develop that can aid professionals in better understanding how to prepare for and react to epidemics.

Politics, and Public Health Policy Reform

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In an article for the first edition of the International Encyclopedia of Public Health, Brookings Scholar Amanda Glassman and Kent Buse, Research Fellow from the Overseas Development Institute, review the major theoretical treatments of politics in the health sector in developing countries and provide examples of common issues that have emerged in the study of the politics of public health policy reform.

Impacts of Early Childhood Programs

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Julia Isaacs and Emily Roessel assess the effects of five early childhood education programs—State Pre-K, Head Start, Early Head Start, Model Early Childhood Programs and Nurse Home Visiting—that have had positive impacts on children’s cognitive skills and/or school outcomes.

Supporting Young Children and Families: An Investment Strategy That Pays

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Julia Isaacs details the evidence supporting the long-term benefits of investment in early childhood education, along with prenatal care and greater access to health care for very young children in impoverished families. In a new Opportunity 08 paper, she proposes federal policies for the next President that will provide big returns.

Reducing Unplanned Pregnancies through Medicaid Family Planning Services

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this paper, Melissa Kearney and Phillip Levine analyze the impact of state policies that expanded eligibility for Medicaid family planning services to women who do not meet regular Medicaid eligibility criteria. The results of their research show that the expanded eligibility policies had a significant impact on reducing unplanned births.

Artificial Society: Getting Clues on How a Pandemic Might Happen by Creating a Huge Model of the United States

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

With the possibility of a national or international emergency, people need to know how to best be prepared. Joshua M. Epstein discusses how agent-based computational modeling has the ability to create artificial societies to model human behavior in an emergency situation.

The Costs of Benefit Delivery in the Food Stamp Program

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

This study by Brookings expert Julia Isaacs compares the Food Stamp Program with eight other public assistance programs across four measures of program effectiveness—administrative costs, error payments, program access, and benefit targeting.

Q&A With Joshua Epstein on Computational Modeling

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

CSED Director and Economic Studies Senior Fellow Joshua Epstein explains his breakthrough computational modeling work, with a focus on how agent-based modeling can help explain human behavior as well as make strides in the public health field.

Improving Health Statistics in Africa

Sat, 03 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

The availability of statistics is crucial in the fight against poverty and the lack of reliable and good-quality statistics is a major obstacle to assessment of changes in development indicators in many African countries. Brookings Scholar Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala discusses the importance of improving health statistics in Africa.

A Genome-Wide Association Study Implicates Diacylglycerol Kinase Eta (DGKH) and Several Other Genes in the Etiology of Bipolar Disorder

Tue, 08 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Using high-throughput genotyping methods, CSED scholar Ben Klemens and a team of researchers helped identify genes linked to bipolar disorder.

Toward a Containment Strategy for Smallpox Bioterror: An Individual-Based Computational Approach

Sun, 01 Dec 2002 00:00:00 GMT

CSED Working Paper No. 31: Toward a Containment Strategy for Smallpox Bioterror: An Individual-Based Computational Approach