BIBLIOGRAPHIC ESSAYS ON THE HISTORY OF PANDEMICS
In 1913, historian of science George Sarton created what has become the Isis Current Bibliography of the History of Science (IsisCB). For the last 110 years, the journal Isis has included a comprehensive survey of the recent work in the history of science and allied fields, first in each issue and later as a full yearly supplement. Now the basis of a free online search tool called IsisCB Explore, the IsisCB continues to serve as an indispensable reference for scholars and students. “Bibliographic Essays on the History of Pandemics” is a special issue of the IsisCB published in September 2023. It features 19 essays along with accompanying bibliographies of go-to sources in the field. All essays and bibliographies in this issue are free to read. Conceived in 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the special issue was intended to serve as a key resource for historians of science with applications extending beyond the discipline. The issue is grouped into several thematic clusters that draw vital connections between historical and emerging themes in global health, including a geographically focused cluster covering Asia, Europe, and Latin America; a pre-modern cluster with essays on the Ancient Mediterranean and Islamicate worlds; as well as a cluster focusing on other pandemic diseases in history. This resource can be obtained here.
HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT: THE HEALTH CARE GENDER TOLL
Out-of-pocket health care costs for employed women in the United States are estimated to be $15 billion higher per year than for employed men, exacerbating gender wage disparities. This financial burden on women persists even when excluding maternity-related services. How can businesses and health insurers help close the cost gap and address gender bias in health care? An analysis from the firm Deloitte reveals that women across all age groups from 19 to 64 experience disproportionately higher out-of-pocket medical expenses compared to men, even when excluding pregnancy-related services. On average, female employees under single coverage incur approximately $266 more in annual out-of-pocket costs than their male counterparts, constituting over an 18% increase. This gender-based financial challenge highlights the need for businesses to scrutinize benefit coverage to make health care more affordable for female employees. Deloitte’s health actuarial team has delved into the average benefit design’s consequences on women’s financial outlays when accessing health care services. Findings suggest that health insurance products inadvertently may create an income gap for working women, compounding the effects of the well-documented gender wage disparity. This dual burden of elevated health care expenditures and the gender wage gap forces employed women into difficult choices between necessary care and affordability. The report is available here.
INTERGENERATIONAL POVERTY IN THE UNITED STATES
Reducing intergenerational poverty would yield a high payoff for children and the entire nation, according to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The document examines key drivers of intergenerational poverty in the U.S. and evidence-based policies most likely to lessen the chances that children living under such circumstances will experience poverty as adults. Poverty during childhood can lead to lasting harmful effects that compromise not only children’s health and welfare, but also can hinder future opportunities for economic mobility, which may be passed on to future generations. This cycle of economic disadvantage weighs heavily not only on children and families experiencing poverty, but also the nation, reducing overall economic output and placing increased burden on the educational, criminal justice, and health care systems. The report assesses existing research on the effects on intergenerational poverty of income assistance, education, health, and other intervention programs and identifies evidence-based programs and policies that have the potential to reduce the effects of the key drivers significantly. The report can obtained here.