Public Health Emergencies

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) released a report summarizing lessons learned from using communities of practice (CoPs) to support state, Tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) public health agencies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), in partnership with Mathematica, are conducting a comprehensive study to identify promising practices aimed at reducing disparities in COVID-19 vaccination and testing, and policy options to promote equitable, routine vaccination.

To help the federal government and STLT jurisdictions better prepare for emergencies, there is a need to understand how prepared different jurisdictions are for various emergencies. However, assessing whether a jurisdiction is prepared for different emergencies is inherently complex and there is a lack of consensus among practitioners and scholars on how to approach preparedness measurement.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) released a report summarizing lessons learned from surging the governmental public health workforce at state, tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) public health agencies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This research report updates prior reports on Medicare FFS telehealth trends during the COVID-19 public health emergency with data through end of 2021, by beneficiary characteristics, visit specialty and geography including by state. Medicare telehealth flexibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic continued to encourage use of telehealth among Medicare beneficiaries in 2021.

Understanding Coverage Considerations for COVID-19 Vaccines and Treatments (Updated May 2023)

This Issue Brief examines children’s health coverage trends using the National Health Interview Survey from 2010 through the third quarter of 2022 and reviews recent research findings from the National Survey of Children's Health on children’s access to and utilization of health care services during this period, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

This issue brief provides updates on state Medicaid policies regarding delivery of telehealth services by provider types and modalities, as of January 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic substantially accelerated interest in and utilization of telehealth across all payers including Medicaid.

The COVID-19 pandemic had wide-ranging impacts on health care delivery, particularly services that require in-person interactions. For patients needing access to medications to treat pain or certain substance use disorders, the COVID-19 pandemic presented particular challenges for continuity of treatment.