Why would Health Affairs launch a blog?

After twenty-five years as a non-profit, bimonthly print journal and six years in online publishing, Health Affairs has entered the blogosphere as a new means of engaging readers in the health policy debate. The journal is all about an ongoing dialogue on health policy issues of concern to a diverse audience of interested readers. Read more from Health Affairs’ founding editor John Iglehart on why the journal has started a blog.

What will the blog include?

Health Affairs plans to experiment with the blog. Some posts (short, invited commentary) will be clustered around a hot topic. Some will be one-time postings on news items of interest. Linking and interactivity will be key. Our goal is to offer a range of views, not to push a particular agenda.

The main elements will include:

• invited posts from leading policy analysts;
• responses from a variety of health care stakeholders;
• comments welcome from all readers;
• links to timely information both within Health Affairs and from other sources;
• staff-written posts on policy briefings, new reports, hot policy topics

Will the posts be reviewed?

Original invited and staff-written posts will be vetted and posted by the editors of Health Affairs. These posts will not be externally peer-reviewed, but will link to the original peer-reviewed journal articles where relevant. 

What about copyright and free access?

These original posts are copyrighted by Health Affairs, but may be freely linked to under a Creative Commons license. They may not be altered, edited or used for commercial gain, and attribution must be given. All content posted on the blog will be free access, opening the debate to the widest possible audience.

What are the ground rules for commenting?

Anyone is welcome to comment, but you must register and agree to the terms of use, including the use of your real name as your user name. We will filter comments for language and appropriateness. Lively comments are fine, but let’s keep this cordial and productive.

How can I keep up with new posts?

New content will be posted on the blog at least weekly. Some weeks there will be new posts every day as we run a “cluster” of invited posts on a hot topic. You can sign up for e-mail alerts or an RSS feed to be alerted when new content is posted.

You can also sign up for an RSS feed on a particular author of interest. For example, Health Affairs deputy editor Rob Cunningham, a health care reporter by background and former editor of Medicine & Health Perspectives, will be commenting on a regular basis. If you like his writing, sign up for his feed via the RSS orange button next to his byline.

Who are Health Affairs’ editors?

Health Affairs’ Founding Editor is John K. Iglehart. The journal’s Executive Editor is Donald E. Metz, and the Associate Publisher is Jane Hiebert-White. For a complete listing of Health Affairs’ editorial staff, please click here.

How do I contact the journal?

Click on Contact Us to send a query to the journal’s editors or blog administrator.

About Health Affairs journal

Health Affairs is the leading journal of health policy thought and research. Published since 1981 by the non-profit Project HOPE, its authors include top scholars, policymakers, and health care industry leaders. The peer-reviewed journal appears bimonthly in print with additional online-only papers published weekly as Health Affairs Web Exclusives at www.healthaffairs.org.

Health Affairs is nonpartisan and presents a wide range of timely research and commentary on health issues of current concern. The Washington Post called Health Affairs “the bible of health policy” and cited the journal as a “must-read for anyone with a serious interest in medicine, health care, and health care policy.”

Subscriptions are available at individual, institutional, and student levels. Read more about the journal.