The Latest Research, Commentary, And News From Health Affairs
Wednesday, December 29, 2021
Dear John
Letters in the December issue discussed permanent versus temporary sick leave policies.
Permanent Versus Temporary Paid Sick Leave
In a letter published in the December 2021 issue of Health Affairs, Emily Suzuki and Nobutoshi Nawa wrote about an article by Jody Heymann and colleagues in the September 2021 issue that put US sick leave in global context.
"We completely agree that the permanent national approach contributes to social equalities in health," they wrote. "However, we would like to emphasize the role of temporary paid sick leave legislation at the state and local levels to address the urgent need for flexible policies, especially during health emergencies."
Jody Heymann and Aleta Sprague responded to the letter, outlining four ways in which temporary legislation falls short and emphasizing
that a permanent paid sick leave policy covering the full range of health needs has myriad advantages over temporary sick leave legislation hurriedly adopted amid a crisis.
Sick leave has been discussed in several Health Affairs Policy Briefs. In June 2021, a brief highlighted the role of sick leave in inequalities at work during COVID-19. In March 2019, a brief discussed the connection between paid family leave policies and population health.
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