Though substantial proportions of the public and practicing physicians report that they have had personal experience with medical errors, neither group has the sense of urgency expressed by many national organizations. To advance their agenda, national groups need to convince physicians, in particular, that the current proposals for reducing errors will be very effective.

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Using data from 13 surveys of the public, this article compares the public's response to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Ontario (specifically, Toronto), the other Canadian provinces, and the United States, which had substantial differences in the number of SARS cases. Findings suggest that, even at a relatively low level of spread among the population, the SARS outbreak had a significant psychological and economic impact. They also suggest that the success of efforts to educate the public about the risk of SARS and appropriate precautions was mixed. Some of the community-wide problems with SARS might have been avoided with better communication by public health officials and clinicians.

Through an analysis of recent data on adults' and children's computer use and experiences, this DataWatch shows that use of computers and the Internet is widespread and that significant percentages of the public are already using the Internet to get health information. The surveys also show that the Internet is already a useful vehicle for reaching large numbers of lower-income, less-educated, and minority Americans. However, a substantial digital divide continues to characterize computer and Internet use, with lower-income blacks especially affected. Implications for the future of health communication on the Internet also are explored.

Our results highlight the need for better plans for emergency communication and evacuation of low-income and disabled citizens in future disasters and shed light on choices facing policymakers in planning for the long-term health care needs of vulnerable populations.

We report the results of a national survey conducted to help public health offi cials understand the public's response to community mitigation interventions for a severe outbreak of pandemic infl uenza. Survey results suggest that if community mitigation measures are instituted, most respondents would comply with recommendations but would be challenged to do so if their income or job were severely compromised. The results also indicate that community mitigation measures could cause problems for persons with lower incomes and for racial and ethnic minorities. Twentyfour percent of respondents said that they would not have anyone available to take care of them if they became sick with pandemic infl uenza. Given these results, planning and public engagement will be needed to encourage the public to be prepared.

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ABSTRACT:Significant policy uncertainty continues to surround the Affordable Care Act (ACA) at both the state and federal level. We assessed changes in health care use and self-reported health after three years of the ACA's coverage expansion, using survey data collected from low-income adults through the end of 2016 in three states: Kentucky, which expanded Medicaid; Arkansas, which expanded private insurance to low-income adults using the federal marketplace; and Texas, which did not expand coverage. We used a difference-in-differences model with a control group, and an instrumental variables model to provide individual-level estimates of the effects of gaining insurance. By the end of 2016, the uninsured rate in the two expansion states had dropped by more than 20 percentage points relative to the non-expansion state. For uninsured individuals gaining coverage, this change was associated with a 41 percentage-point increase in having a usual source of care, a $337 reduction in annual out-of-pocket spending, significant increases in preventive health visits and glucose testing, and a 23 percentage-point increase in "excellent" self-reported health. Among adults with chronic conditions, we found improvements in affordability of care, regular care for those conditions, medication adherence, and self-reported health.3