Policy & the Economy
March 1, 2025
Investors Are Gobbling Up Smaller Medical Practices. Should Regulators Be Concerned?
These under-the-radar transactions have driven up the price of anesthesia by about 30 percent.
Aslihan Asil, Paulo Ramos, Amanda Starc and Thomas G. Wollmann
February 1, 2025
What Happens to Communication When Part of a Team Is Relocated?
As one cancer center expanded, relocation of some clinicians led to fewer in-person interactions for all.
Jillian Chown and and coauthors
April 19, 2024
Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Is Going Mainstream. How Will the Industry Grow Around It?
While significant barriers remain—including regulatory uncertainty and the difficulty of scaling a labor-intensive treatment method—industry leaders see a path forward.
David Schonthal, Michael Cotton, David Esselman and Ryan Reid
February 5, 2024
What Happens When We Give Doctors an AI Assistant?
Machine-learning systems can improve physicians’ accuracy at diagnosing dermatological diseases. But even with AI assistance, physicians struggle to close the accuracy gap between light- and dark-skinned patients.
Matthew Groh, Omar Badri, Roxana Daneshjou, Arash Koochek, Caleb Harris, Luis R. Soenksen and Rosalind Picard
October 6, 2023
Can We Build a Better Prescription Drug Market?
Medicare will soon be able to negotiate directly with drug makers. But one economist explains why “the goal should be to increase value, not just lower prices.”
Amanda Starc
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
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