The Incidental Economist

Contemplating health care with a focus on research, an eye on reform.


  • About the blog
  • Selected citations
  • Site policies
  • Authors

    Austin Frakt twitter facebook email
    Aaron Carroll twitter facebook email
    Other Contributors
  • Recent posts

    • Want to know why people aren’t happy?
    • Even more politics I don’t understand – ctd.
    • Health Wonk Review
    • Even more politics I don’t understand
    • Office cleaning: Two-sided market literature dump
    • On this, there should be no debate
    • Capretta on Medicare Advantage
    • Strangers on a train
    • The devil is in the details
    • Allocating cost risk
    • How to irritate a blogger
    • Collusion, entry barriers, and economies of scale/scope
  • Archives

  • Aaron’s stuff

    Selected appearances:
    The Colbert Report
    Good Morning America
    Sound Medicine (most recent)
    The Ed Show

    For speaking inquiries:
    contact Jo at Speakers on Healthcare or at 800-697-7325

    Buy my book!

    Don't Swallow Your Gum!
  • Austin’s stuff

    Recent Columns:
    For Cost Control, Vouchers and Medicare Don't Mix (Kaiser Health News, Aug. 19)

    Senate Dysfunction and Health Care Cost Control: In Private Sector We Trust? (Kaiser Health News, Aug. 9)

    Massachusetts Mandates at Work (The New Republic, Citizen Cohn, Aug. 5)

    The Curve Will Be Bent (The New Republic, Citizen Cohn, Aug. 4)


    Recent Publications:
    "Beneficiary Price Sensitivity in the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Market" (Health Economics 19(1), 2010). [summary]

    "Uninsured Adults with Chronic Conditions or Disabilities: Gaps in Public Insurance Programs" (Health Affairs, 2009). [summary]

    "Payment Reduction and Medicare Private Fee for Service" (Health Care Financing Review 30(3), 2009). [summary]

  • Selected citations

    Below, in reverse chronological order, is a sample of posts and articles in which this blog is cited or one of its authors is quoted. In summary, citations have appeared in online (including blogs) or print/broadcast editions of The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, Business Week, CBS, The Economist, Financial Times, The Hill, The Huffington Post, Marketplace, Mother Jones, National Public Radio, National Journal, National Review, The New Republic, The New York Times, Politico, The Washington Post, The Weekly Standard, and other publications and blogs of significance.

    2010

    Matt Steinglass. (9/1/10). Why health care is different. The Economist.

    Ezra Klein. (8/31/10). Why health care is different. The Washington Post.

    Kevin Drum. (8/27/10). Cheap drugs. Mother Jones.

    Ken Terry. (8/25/10). How Health Insurance Firms — and Doctors! — May Game Healthcare Reform, CBS.

    Reihan Salam. (8/23/10). Austin Frakt on Medicare Advantage … National Review.

    Ezra Klein. (8/20/10). A private Medicare system would be a costlier Medicare system. The Washington Post.

    Igor Volsky. (8/17/10). Gaming the exchanges and mini health insurance plans. Think Progress.

    Ezra Klein. (8/17/10). Wonkbook … The Washington Post.

    Igor Volsky. (8/16/10). On why regulators must stand up to insurers. Think Progress.

    Kevin Drum. (8/16/10). Will insurance companies game the ACA? Mother Jones.

    Andrew Sullivan. (8/5/10). Chart of the day. The Atlantic.

    Kevin Drum. (8/4/10). Defunding healthcare. Mother Jones.

    Ezra Klein. (8/4/10). Why we’ll have to get serious about health-care costs in one graph. The Washington Post.

    Kay Lazar. (7/22/10). Massachusetts health law: Success or headed for trouble? The Boston Globe.

    Igor Volsky. (7/21/10). On whether the individual mandate is a tax. Think Progress.

    Reihan Salam. (7/20/10). Massachusetts and provider consolidation. National Review.

    Ezra Klein. (7/19/10). The Massachusetts plan is working — but the American health-care system is not. The Washington Post.

    Reihan Salam. (7/9/10). Isn’t that costly for the government. National Review.

    Nick Baumann. (7/9/10). Lost in translation. The Economist.

    John Goodman. (7/6/10). The future does not look good. National Journal.

    Ezra Klein. (7/2/10). Expect health-care reform to require more reforms. The Washington Post.

    Ezra Klein. (6/28/10). Reconciliation. The Washington Post.

    Andrew Sullivan. (6/25/10). The future of healthcare. The Atlantic.

    Avik Roy. (6/15/10). Health Wonk Review review: The platonic form of health insurance. National Review.

    Matthew Yglesias. (6/22/10). The health care productivity problem. Think Progress.

    Kevin Drum. (6/17/10). Getting a handle on healthcare. Mother Jones.

    Ezra Klein. (6/16/10). ‘Five thousand spills like in the Gulf of Mexico.’ The Washington Post.

    Avik Roy. (6/10/10). Health Wonk Review review: Of Dartmouth, doc fixes, and droppings. National Review.

    Christopher Rowland. (5/31/10). On health care, lobbyists flex muscle. The Boston Globe.

    Avik Roy. (5/27/10). Health Wonk Review review: Why insurers aren’t utilities. National Review.

    Alex Eichler. (5/11/10). ‘Askers’ vs. ‘Guessers’. The Atlantic.

    Max Fisher. (4/28/10). The comprehensive guide to better naps. The Atlantic.

    Ezra Klein. (4/27/10). The physiology of napping. The Washington Post.

    Kevin Drum. (4/22/10). Healthcare reform after a month. Mother Jones.

    Matthew Yglesias. (4/20/10). Where’re the broccoli ads? Think Progress.

    Reihan Salam. (4/15/10). Stray links for tax day. National Review.

    Jonathan Cohn. (4/12/10). Finishing ‘The Treatment’. The New Republic.

    Kevin Drum. (4/10/10). The rich are getting richer. Mother Jones.

    Ezra Klein. (4/9/10). Some individual mandate discussion. The Washington Post.

    Reihan Salam. (4/8/10). The ACA data problem. National Review.

    Nancy Marshall Genzer. (4/7/10). Are more health lawsuits on the way? Marketplace.

    Reihan Salam. (4/6/10). Austin Frakt on unknown unknowns in health reform. National Review.

    Suzy Khimm. (4/6/10). Are people in Massachusetts gaming the individual mandate? The Washington Post.

    Mary Katharine Ham (4/6/10).  The Daily Grind. The Weekly Standard.

    Igor Volsky. (4/5/10). Insurers report consumers gaming the individual mandate in Massachusetts. Think Progress.

    Harold Pollack. (4/1/10). The best-covered news story, ever. The New Republic.

    Reihan Salam. (3/30/10). The mandate debate continues. National Review.

    Paul Krugman. (3/29/10). Good news on mandates. The New York Times.

    Kevin Drum. (3/29/10). The future of healthcare reform. Mother Jones.

    Reihan Salam. (3/25/10). Austin Frakt on the mandate. National Review.

    Ezra Klein. (3/22/10). Will insurers raise rates before health-care reform? The Washington Post.

    Nancy Marshall Genzer. (3/19/10). Immediate changes if health bill passed. Marketplace.

    Matt Steinglass. (3/13/10). Still diagnosing the problem. The Economist.

    David Leonhardt. (3/10/10). Does lack of insurance kill? The New York Times.

    David Leonhardt. (3/9/10). Health care’s obstacle: No will to cut. The New York Times.

    Nancy Marshall Genzer. (3/9/10). Justice department stops health merger. Marketplace.

    Mark Thoma. (3/3/10). Links for 2010-03-02. Economist’s View.

    Brad DeLong. (3/3/10). Five things worth reading, mostly economics. Grasping Reality …

    Monica Potts. (2/16/10). Arguing against the facts. The American Prospect.

    Jonathan Cohn. (2/16/10). Give me insurance or give me death. The New Republic.

    Kate Steadman. (2/16/10). Debating whether health insurance saves lives. Kaiser Health News.

    Matthew Yglesias. (2/16/10). Yes, health insurance saves lives. Think Progress.

    Andrew Sullivan. (2/15/10). How many die for lack of insurance? Ctd. The Atlantic.

    Brad DeLong. (2/15/10). At least a third of what we spend on health care is wasted–and we don’t spend enough. Grasping Reality …

    Kevin Drum. (2/15/10). Is health insurance good for you? Mother Jones.

    Ezra Klein. (2/15/10). When opinions on health-care insurance stop being polite and start getting complicated. The Washington Post.

    Megan McArdle. (2/13/10). Firming up the argument. The Atlantic.

    Tyler Cowen. (2/13/10). Health insurance and mortality follow-up. Marginal Revolution.

    Andrew Sullivan. (2/12/10). How many die for lack of insurance? The Atlantic.

    Matthew Yglesias. (2/12/10). Insurance status and mortality. Think Progress.

    Megan McArdle. (2/12/10). What do “rightwingers” really think? The Atlantic.

    Kevin Drum. (2/12/10). Quote of the day. Mother Jones.

    Merrill Goozner. (2/11/10). Antitrust? Or anti-cost control? The Fiscal Times.

    Ezra Klein. (2/10/10). Let’s not make a deal. The Washington Post.

    Kevin Drum. (2/8/10). Quick hits. Mother Jones.

    David Lightman. (2/5/10). House to vote on stripping health insurers’ antitrust protection. McClatchy Newspapers.

    Nick Baumann. (2/4/10). The market for economics. Mother Jones.

    Mark Thoma. (2/4/10). Is Austrianism serious? Economist’s View.

    Ezra Klein. (2/4/10). More mathbell! The Washington Post.

    James Kwak. (2/3/10). The Republican plan, II: You’re on your own. The Baseline Scenario.

    Andrew Sullivan. (2/1/10). Pass. The. Damn. Bill. The Atlantic.

    Ezra Klein. (2/1/10). Plan B is terrible. The Washington Post.

    Igor Volsky. (1/20/10). Brown’s victory wasn’t a referendum on national health reform legislation. Think Progress.

    Ezra Klein. (1/13/10). The Senate’s awful free rider provision likely to survive negotiations. The Washington Post.

    Kevin Drum. (1/13/10). Healthcare reform and cost control. Mother Jones.

    Jonathan Cohn. (1/13/10). House not inclined to roll over, play dead. The New Republic.

    Jonathan Chait. (1/12/10). Let me explain the Cadillac tax. The New Republic.

    Andrew Sullivan. (1/12/10). Yes, those Medicare cuts can happen. The Atlantic.

    Matthew Yglesias. (1/8/10). Health care and wages. Think Progress.

    Kevin Drum. (1/8/10). Healthcare and wages. Mother Jones.

    Ezra Klein. (1/8/10). The health-care and wages debate, continued! The Washington Post.

    2009

    Igor Volsky. (12/29/09). Health care industry coordinating effort to opt states out of health care reform. Think Progress.

    Matthew Yglesias. (12/29/09). Repeal can’t happen, rollback can. Think Progress.

    Jonathan Cohn. (12/29/09). The Kristol ball. The New Republic.

    Ezra Klein. (12/22/09). Letters to health-care Santa: Bring the market to Medicare Advantage, and the House’s employer mandate to the final bill. The Washington Post.

    Kevin Drum. (12/22/09). Healthcare ping pong? Mother Jones.

    Patrick Appel. (12/20/09). After reform. The Atlantic.

    Kevin Drum. (12/20/09). Why 2014? Mother Jones.

    Ezra Klein. (12/18/09). The 60th vote? The Washington Post.

    Ezra Klein. (12/15/09). The political cost of failure. The Washington Post.

    Gwen Robinson. (12/10/09). An economy of one’s own. Financial Times.

    Megan McArdle. (12/9/09). Medicare cost shifting: Does it happen, and how much? The Atlantic.

    Kevin Drum. (12/9/09). Joe Lieberman is 21% right (and 79% wrong). Mother Jones.

    Matthew Yglesias. (12/9/09). The phantom menace of cost-shifting. Think Progress.

    Igor Volsky. (12/9/09). Would the Medicare buy-in hurt providers? Think Progress.

    Jonathan Cohn. (11/25/09). Daily Treatment, giving thanks edition. The New Republic.

    Andrew Sullivan. (11/24/09). Health Incentive Plans. The Atlantic.

    Stephen Koff. (11/21/09). Senate bill would also cut Medicare Advantage but reductions would not be as deep as in House measure. The Plain Dealer.

    Andrew Sullivan. (11/19/09). Cost control, cost control, cost control, ctd. The Atlantic.

    Matthew Yglesias. (11/17/09). The next health reform debate. Think Progress.

    Kevin Drum. (11/17/09). The Swiss system. Mother Jones.

    Cathy Arnst. (11/2/09). U.S. medical prices highest in the world. Business Week.

    Jonathan Cohn. (11/2/09). Daily Treatment, man bites dog edition. The New Republic.

    Ezra Klein. (11/2/09). If Best Buy sold health care. The Washington Post.

    Jonathan Cohn. (11/2/09). Why American health care is so expensive. The New Republic.

    Kevin Drum. (11/2/09). The Frakt curve. Mother Jones.

    Tyler Cowen. (10/31/09). How well will the public option work. Marginal Revolution.

    Jonathan Cohn. (10/26/09). Daily Treatment, likes and dislikes. The New Republic.

    Lisa Wangsness. (10/25/09). Fears of health monopoly as Congress urges collaboration. The Boston Globe.

    David Welna. (10/23/09). Democrats push to end insurer’s antitrust exemption. National Public Radio.

    Jonathan Cohn. (10/21/09). Daily Treatment, biggest losers edition. The New Republic.

    Esme Deprez. (10/19/09). Reviving an old threat in health-insurance battle. Business Week.

    Uwe Reinhardt. (10/16/09). Is Medicare raising prices for the privately insured? The New York Times.

    Andrew Sullivan. (10/16/09). From the dept. of careful what you wish for. The Atlantic.

    Ezra Klein. (10/15/09). Another perspective on the antitrust exemption for the insurance industry. The Washington Post.

    Ezra Klein. (10/15/09). The Medicare Advantage scam. The Washington Post.

    Tyler Cowen. (10/15/09). Austin Frakt and Ian Crosby on the insurance antitrust exemption. Marginal Revolution.

    Ezra Klein. (10/14/09). Putting hospitals on a diet. The Washington Post.

    Speaker Nancy Pelosi. (10/14/09). Health Insurance Reform Daily Mythbuster: ‘Health Insurance Reform Will Lead to Medicare Benefit Cuts for Seniors’.

    Kevin Drum. (10/13/09). Is cost shifting bogus? Mother Jones.

    Timothy Stoltzfus Jost. (10/12/09). Health Care Arena. Politico.

    Aaron Carroll. (10/8/09). Uniquely American? Or uniquely bad? The Huffington Post.

    Ezra Klein. (10/7/09). The question of cost-shifting. The Washington Post.

    Aaron Carroll. (10/7/09). High risk pools. Rational Arguments.

    Cliff Kuang. (10/6/09). How to become a design genius: Take time off. Lots of it. Fast Company.

    Lea Winerman. (10/5/09). Under Senate Finance Committee plan, high-risk insurance pools get funding boost. Online NewsHour.

    Ezra Klein. (10/5/09). Health economist Austin Frakt dismantles the idea that the difference between what private insurers and public insurers pay represents “cost-shifting.” The Washington Post.

    Maggie Mahar. (10/1/09). Seniors would save far more than they lose. The Washington Post.

    Jane Sasseen and Catherine Arnst. (10/1/09). Why business fears the public option. Business Week.

    Thomas Greaney. (9/30/09). Health reform and Medicare: Part I. The Health Care Blog.

    Terence Kane. (9/30/09). Senior-bating in healthcare debate. The Hill.

    Andrew Sullivan. (9/30/09). 14 cents on the dollar. The Atlantic.

    Aaron Carroll. (9/29/09). Why are we cutting Medicare Advantage? Rational Arguments.

    Ezra Klein. (9/29/09). A wasteful program. The Washington Post.

    Ezra Klein. (9/29/09). Is Medicare Advantage worth it? The Washington Post.

    Kevin Drum. (9/28/09). Who benefits from Medicare Advantage? Mother Jones.

    Maggie Mahar. (9/25/09). More on proposed cuts to Medicare Advantage. The Century Foundation.

    Paul Krugman. (4/2/09). “The banks” versus “some banks.” The New York Times.

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