Policy & the Economy
February 2, 2023
Consumers Lose Out When Health Insurers Offer Lots of Plans
While extra choices are usually considered a good thing, insurers are able to use them strategically to maximize profits.
Hector Chade, Victoria Marone, Amanda Starc and Jeroen Swinkels
February 1, 2023
Will AI Eventually Replace Doctors?
Maybe not entirely. But the doctor–patient relationship is likely to change dramatically.
David Dranove and Craig Garthwaite
September 1, 2022
How Humanizing Disease Could Be a New Public Health Tool
Anthropomorphizing a disease changes how we feel about it—and the steps we take to avoid it.
Lili Wang, Rima Touré-Tillery and Ann L. McGill
June 21, 2022
Where Is the U.S. Healthcare Industry Headed?
New business models abound, private equity is expanding, and healthcare workers are hard to find.
David Dranove and Craig Garthwaite
June 1, 2022
Consumers Pay When Generic Drug Companies Collude. Here’s a Way to Stop Them.
Price-fixing by pharmaceutical cartels can cost billions, and the threat of lawsuits isn’t enough to deter it.
Amanda Starc and Thomas G. Wollman
April 5, 2022
We Hear a Lot about New Drugs. But What Spurs Innovation in Medical Procedures?
There’s been little research on what brings about new procedures, despite how life-changing they can be.
David Dranove, Craig Garthwaite, Christopher Heard and Bingxiao Wu
April 1, 2022
How Social Stigma Can Dissuade Us from Taking Care of Our Health
A new study explores the decisions that go into seeking preventative care.
Chethana Achar, Lea Dunn and Nidhi Agrawal
June 21, 2021
How Did “Big Med” Get So Big—and So Expensive?
Two economists explain how the American healthcare system evolved into the behemoth it is today—and what can be done to lower costs and improve patient care.
David Dranove and Lawton R. Burns
June 2, 2021
Nursing Shortages Cause Real Harm to Patients. Policymakers Should Pay Attention.
During COVID, governments eased hiring restrictions. A Kellogg economist explains why the labor market should stay flexible.
Thomas N. Hubbard
May 17, 2021
Taking the Pulse of the Changing U.S. Healthcare Ecosystem
As healthcare gets more complex—and more expensive—business models are adapting to address misaligned interests and incentives.
Craig Garthwaite
May 10, 2021
How Regulating Hospital Prices Can Impact Patient Care
There are tangible benefits for quality of care when hospitals compete for higher-paying patients.
Craig Garthwaite, Christopher Ody and Amanda Starc
November 23, 2020
Is Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine the Next Blockbuster Drug?
Investors are keeping a close eye on the drug firm’s vaccine advances. But the company’s longer-term fortunes may lie elsewhere.
Efraim Benmelech
October 28, 2020
Choosing the Right Health-Insurance Plan Could Add Years to Your Life
New evidence suggests that certain Medicare Advantage plans increase life spans more than others. Here’s what the best plans have in common.
Jason Abaluck, Mauricio Cáceres Bravo, Peter Hull and Amanda Starc
September 2, 2020
Pharma Companies Argue That Lower Drug Prices Would Mean Fewer Breakthrough Drugs. Is That True?
Probably not, a new study suggests—as long as the price decreases are modest.
David Dranove, Craig Garthwaite and Manuel I. Hermosilla
August 7, 2020
Why Well-Meaning NGOs Sometimes Do More Harm than Good
Studies of aid groups in Ghana and Uganda show why it’s so important to coordinate with local governments and institutions.
Erika Deserranno, Aisha Nansamba, Nancy Qian, Katharine Baldwin, Dean Karlan, Christopher Udry and Ernest Appiah
May 27, 2020
The Wrong Way to Ramp Up COVID-19 Testing
Robust testing is key to safely reopening the economy. But a new model shows that if testing is not paired with “smart containment,” it could backfire.
Martin Eichenbaum, Sergio Rebelo and Mathias Trabandt
May 8, 2020
The U.S. Is Full of Innovative Thinkers. The Government Needs to Marshal All of Them to Fight Covid-19.
Here’s how we can accelerate efforts to reduce the spread, develop treatments, and find a vaccine.
Benjamin F. Jones
May 1, 2020
How to Craft Public-Health Messages That Work
The key? Understanding how fear and confidence shape healthy choices.
Chethana Achar, Nidhi Agrawal and Meng-Hua Hsieh
April 7, 2020
How Infectious-Disease Testing Can Improve Employee Performance
A new study on malaria prevention shows that employees who know their health status become more productive at work.
Oladele Akogun, Andrew Dillon, Jed Friedman, Ashesh Prasann and Pieter Serneels
January 2, 2020
Do Doctors Who Supervise Residents Spend Less Time with Patients?
Data from two ERs suggest that patients at teaching hospitals aren’t losing out on face time with senior physicians.
Ernest Wang, Yue Yin, Itai Gurvich, Morris Kharasch, Clifford Rice, Jared Novack, Christine Babcock, James Ahn, Steven Bowman and Jan A. Van Mieghem
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