Home - Peter Ubel
On Health,
Bioethics, and
Behavioral Economics
As 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.
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Sick To Debt
How Smarter Markets Lead To Better Care
ABOUT THE BOOK: The United States has the most expensive healthcare system in the world. While policy makers have argued over who is at fault for this, the system has been quietly moving toward high-deductible insurance plans that require patients to pay large amounts out of pocket before insurance kicks in. The idea behind his […]
Latest Content
One In Four Cancer Survivors Can’t Afford Their Medical Care–And We’re Blaming The Wrong People
Published Feb 11, 2020
According to a recent CDC survey, one in four cancer survivors struggle to pay their medical bills. An even higher number worry about whether they’ll be able to scrounge up the money to pay off their out-of-pocket healthcare costs. I’m quite comfortable blaming the healthcare industry, writ large, for this problem. Healthcare prices in the United […]
Read MoreMedicare Pays More Money To Doctors Taking Care Of Rich Patients. Here’s Why.
Published Feb 07, 2020
It has always been financially rewarding for doctors to take care of rich patients. People with more money…well, they have more money to spend on healthcare. But shouldn’t this more money/higher payment relationship go away in Medicare? It doesn’t, and some recent payment reforms may be making matters worse. (To read the rest of the […]
Read MoreWhat Higher Ed Can Learn From Health Care
Published Feb 03, 2020
Check out my recent interview with The Chronicle of Higher Education about the rising costs of education and healthcare: For decades, higher education has come under public scrutiny for rising costs. But there is at least one other sector that seems to feel even more heat from policy makers and ire from the public. That […]
Read MoreAmerican Healthcare Prices -Simply Outrageous
Published Jan 29, 2020
When it comes to healthcare spending, the U.S. is without peer. Consider the 20 countries making up the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (called the OECD by the cool kids). The organization includes countries like Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, and the Czech Republic. Oh also Finland, France, Germany…you get the idea. It also […]
Read MorePharma Says Price Regulation Will Take Life-Saving Drugs Away From Us. Here’s The Truth.
Published Jan 21, 2020
The US isn’t the only country struggling with the high price of prescription drugs. A decade ago, Germany was facing rapidly rising medication prices. In 2011, it struck back, with a law regulating the price of new medications. Here’s how that law works, and what it has meant for whether Germans have access to new […]
Read MoreThe Life Expectancy Of Your Favorite Presidential Candidate
Published Jan 17, 2020
Many of the front runners in the presidential campaign are octogenarians. President Trump, a virtual lock to be the Republican nominee, is 73 years old. Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden are 78 and 77, respectively. Which raises a question: if elected, how likely are they to survive a 4-year term in office? There’s no perfect […]
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About Peter
I am a physician and behavioral scientist. My research and writing explores 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. (What fun would it be to tackle just the easy problems?) My goal is to show you, in an entertaining way, why the key to living better, healthier lives, and improving the societies we live in, is to understand human nature.
I’m also a Professor of Business, Public Policy and Medicine at Duke University. (Officially, I’m the – prepare to be impressed – Madge and Dennis T. McLawhorn University Professor of Business at Fuqua.) My research explores controversial issues about the role of values and preferences in health care decision making, from decisions at the bedside to policy decisions.
