Austin Frakt
Health Economist with Dept. of Veterans Affairs, Boston Univ., and Harvard Univ. • Contributor to @nytimes
Note. This is unlikely to be a complete listing.
Pointers From Portugal on Addiction and the Drug War
Decriminalization involves trade-offs, but treating addiction as a disease yields a clear gain, research suggests.
The Fine Line Between Choice and Confusion in Health Care
Part of the U.S. debate over health care is really a debate over the definition of freedom.
What’s Missing in the Effort to Stop Maternal Deaths
The U.S. could prevent two-thirds of deaths during or within a year of pregnancy, research suggests.
How to Think About Pregnancy Risks
Individual choices matter, but public policies are more important.
Putting a Dollar Value on Life? Governments Already Do
Trade-offs are routine in health policy, and the math and analysis underlying them have been around for decades.
Damage From OxyContin Continues to Be Revealed
Research shows Purdue Pharma focused its marketing in states with lighter prescription regulation, with deadly consequences.
Who Should Be Saved First? Experts Offer Ethical Guidance
Well before coronavirus shortages, protocols have been established about “who lives and who dies.”
Alcoholics Anonymous vs. Other Approaches: The Evidence Is Now In
An updated review shows it performs better than other common treatments and is less expensive.
The Health System We’d Have if Economists Ran Things
A survey of nearly 200 Ph.D. health economists finds them taking a few politically unpopular positions.
Would Your Wages Rise Under ‘Medicare for All’?
Research suggests the answer is yes, but not in all cases, and with significant differences across jobs and labor markets.