Research
Agenda
My research agenda is focused on health economics.
One aspect of my research looks at the effects of Medicaid managed
care organizations (MCOs). In many states, large numbers of Medicaid
enrollees have been moved into managed care organizations (which are
somewhat similar to health maitenance organizations, or HMOs). My
current projects study how the quality of patient care is
affected by
the means by which MCO's compensate primary care providers and by the
financial
performance of the MCOs.
A colleague of mine, Fidel Gonzalez, and I are also investigating the
factors that influence mortality in Mexico. Our first paper examines
whether the results in Ruhm's 2000 QJE paper (economic expansions are
associated with increases in mortality) hold for a developing country
such as Mexico. We also plan on performing a more comprehensive
investigation of mortality, as well as an analysis of the effects of
trade.
In the past I also researched issues in telecommunications regulation.
One paper analyzed how public utility commissions set wholesale prices,
while another investigated whether federal regulation deterred entry.
Publications
Did
Federal Regulation Discourage Facilities-Based Entry into U.S. Local
Telecommunications Markets? (2008-05)
Telecommunications Policy
(2008-09), 32(8), 572-581
Does
the Quality of Care in Medicaid MCOs Vary with the Form of Physician
Compensation? (2007-05)
(with
Elizabeth Shenkman and David Sappington)
Health
Economics
(2008-04), 17(4), 545-550
Do
Elected Public Utility Commissioners Behave More Politically than
Appointed Ones? (2007-08)
Journal of Regulatory Economics
(2008-06), 33(3), 318-337
Working
Papers
Macroeconomic
Changes and Mortality in Mexico (2009-05)
(with
Fidel Gonzalez)
Conditionally accepted at
Empirical Economics
Are Recessions Good for Everyone's Health? The Association Between
Mortality and the Business Cycle by Race in the U.S. (2009-02)
(with
Matias Fontenla and Fidel Gonzalez)
Submitted to
Health Economics
Do
Profits Influence the Quality of Care Provided by Medicaid MCOs?
(2008-02)
(with
Elizabeth Shenkman)
