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About Me
I am a physician and behavioral scientist. My research and writing explore the quirks in human nature that influence our lives -- the mixture of rational and irrational forces that affect our health, our happiness, and the way our society functions. (more...)- Have a question or just want to get in touch? Email me at peter.ubel@duke.edu
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Tag Archives: Medicaid
Do People Move Across State Borders To Receive Generous Medicaid Benefits?
I teach an undergraduate health policy class at Duke University. Recently, my students asked me whether states potentially hurt themselves by offering generous health care benefits when neighboring states don’t offer such benefits. Then I got home and pulled out … Continue reading
Posted in Health Policy
Tagged health policy, Medicaid
Students Taking State Government to School?
Students at Duke University and UNC Chapel Hill just put together a very thoughtful proposal on how the state of North Carolina could expand its Medicaid program, while still promoting the private insurance market. Here’s a link to a wonderful … Continue reading
Posted in Health Policy
Tagged health policy, Medicaid
Percent of Americans Without Health Insurance Drops
A recent Gallup poll shows that the percent of Americans without health insurance has dropped significantly in recent months. Here’s a picture of their findings: This drop has occurred largely in response to Obamacare – to the expansion of Medicaid … Continue reading
Posted in Health Policy
Tagged health policy, Medicaid, Obamacare
Why Many Physicians Are Reluctant to See Medicaid Patients
In an earlier post, I presented some data on which kind of physicians in the United States are most and least likely to see new patients who receive Medicaid, the state/federal program to pay healthcare costs for low income people. Now … Continue reading
Posted in Health Policy
Tagged health policy, Medicaid
Why Poor People Like Hospitals
Healthcare markets are complex and confusing places. But one fact is simple and straightforward: all else equal, hospitals and emergency departments are a lot more expensive than outpatient clinics. Which makes it all the more bewildering that so many low … Continue reading
Posted in Medical Decision Making
Tagged healthcare costs, Medicaid, medical decision making
Medicaid Dragging Its Feet Over Generic Drugs
We have experienced an impressive slowdown in the growth of healthcare expenditures in recent years, a slowdown attributed in part to the plethora of important drugs which have gone generic in recent years. But state Medicaid programs, according to a recent study in Health Affairs, could have slowed … Continue reading
Posted in Health Policy
Tagged healthcare costs, Medicaid
Are Health Insurance Exchanges the Key to Improving Medicaid? Possible Lessons from Arkansas
Imagine you are the breadwinner for a family of four, and have been out of work for a while in the recessionary economy. Your financial situation is so dire that you have had to enroll your family in Medicaid. Then … Continue reading
Posted in Health Policy
Tagged Medicaid, Obamacare
The Hazards of Blogging: Being Misquoted and Misrepresented
In a recent post, I wrote about the fact that many physicians in the US do not accept new appointments with Medicaid enrollees. I was surprised to see it quickly garnered over 25,000 views. I guess it’s good to write … Continue reading
Posted in Miscellaneous
Tagged Medicaid, Obamacare
Attention Medicaid Patients: The Doctor Won’t Be Seeing You
With its expansion of Medicaid eligibility, the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare) was supposed to go a long way towards providing healthcare coverage to millions of uninsured Americans. That accomplishment was dealt a large blow by the Supreme Court, when … Continue reading
Posted in Health Policy
Tagged Medicaid, Obamacare
Will Obamacare Reduce the Crazy Variation in Hospital Prices?
If you have been paying attention to US healthcare policy debates lately, you know that hospitals have a price problem. Walk across the street from one hospital to a competitor hospital, and you could easily find yourself facing a $30,000 increase … Continue reading
Posted in Health Policy
Tagged health insurance, healthcare costs, Medicaid, Medicare, Obamacare, price transparency