New! Price transparency was meant to lower costs. In a large NY RCT, it instead raised charges ~1% (driven by lower-priced providers with few out-of-network patients) with no change in patient behavior -- likely helping providers benchmark, not consumers shop. journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
New paper! @mikepesko.bsky.social & @rachelylfung.bsky.social find no meaningful evidence that e-cigs crowd out NRT sales, cessation prescriptions, quitline calls,or smoking quit attempts, suggesting e-cigs reach smokers not interested in quitting otherwise. www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
New paper by @basucally.bsky.social! How much of a drug's social value should go to innovators? 100% maximizes long-run welfare, but less if society prioritizes consumer surplus—especially when small countries can free-ride on others' R&D. #DrugPricing www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
The worldwide rise in health care’s share of GDP slowed after 2009 in the US and across 19 OECD countries. A key factor in this slowdown is a declining contribution from technological change, implying a substantial bending of the healthcare spending curve. journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/73
conversableeconomist.com/2026/03/27/bending-the-curve-of-health-care-costs-at-last/ "Bending the curve” of healthcare costs is back in the conversation. What’s driving it? Timothy Taylor discusses recent work by Cutler&Klarnet on the US and a new AJHE paper by Smith&Newhouse on international trends:
New paper! Expanding public insurance to parents benefits parents and generates spillovers to children, improving their health care utilization. The estimates highlight intergenerational effects relevant for welfare analysis. www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/733364 @michellemmarcus.bsky.social
New paper! State reinsurance programs cut ACA Marketplace premiums but didn't boost net enrollment. They helped unsubsidized consumers while raising costs for subsidized ones — mostly a transfer to insurers without fundamental changes to the Marketplaces. www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/733523
International recognition for AJHE! The Australian Business Deans Council Journal Quality List has upgraded AJHE from A to A*. It reflects sustained improvements in quality and impact. Huge credit to @davidslusky.bsky.social and Australia and NZ–based economists, led by Jenny Williams (Melbourne).
New AJHE paper: Among Arkansas Medicaid beneficiaries enrolled in private plans, narrower provider networks reduced in-network PCP and specialist visits. Patients shifted to out-of-network care, especially for specialists, but overall PCP use still fell. 🔗 www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...