Dear John,

You are invited to join Health Affairs tomorrow, May 9, for a special event marking the 20th anniversary of the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

Who Got Which Vaccine?

Katherine Wen and coauthors track county-level variation in mRNA COVID-19 vaccine use among Medicare beneficiaries. 

They conclude that between August 2021 and April 2022, there was large geographic variation within and across US states. “Beneficiaries in large urban metro counties were most likely to receive Pfizer-BioNTech for their first and booster doses” and Pfizer-BioNTech receipt was lower in rural counties.

Cash Payments Boosted West Virginia COVID-19 Vaccine Rates

During the COVID-19 pandemic, state and local governments distributed guaranteed cash transfers to encourage vaccine uptake. Yin Wang and coauthors explore the effects of this policy in West Virginia.

They find that the state’s $100 incentive for young adults who were fully vaccinated was associated with a “robust increase in the proportion of people ever vaccinated against COVID-19 and the proportion who completed or intended to complete the primary series of COVID-19 vaccinations.”

More on Public Health

• Addressing Health-Related Social Needs Via Community Resources: Lessons From Accountable Health Communities by Jeanette Renaud et al.
• Beyond Compliance: A More Integrated Public Health Approach To Outbreaks In Nursing Homes And Other Disasters by Michael Wasserman and R. Tamara Konetzka
• A Health Podyssey: Jennifer Ng'andu on the Relationship Between Income and Health

In a Health Policy brief released last week, Amy Sheon of Case Western Reserve University and Elaine Khoong of the University of California San Francisco write about the linkages between digital inclusion and health equity. 

Digital inclusion determines access to health care services and jobs and shapes educational attainment. 

Khoong and Sheon outline four pillars of digital inclusion, including “available, affordable high-speed internet service; devices; digital skills and training; and applications, online content, and technical support.”

The researchers call for increased investments in broadband infrastructure and the development of digital policy that includes the health sector.

New ACA Policy Expands Access To Dental Care. Now, States Need To Act

Melissa Burroughs et al.

Tame The Private Equity Beast By Shifting Its Focus To Value-Based Care

Ken Terry

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Month

It is Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Month, and we are proud to elevate AANHPIs who work to advance health equity and policy.

In a May 2024 article, Christopher Cai and Zirui Song discuss the growth in private equity (PE) acquisitions in health care delivery and provide recommendations on how to strengthen policy.