SI 2026 Economics of Health
Organized by Abby E. Alpert, Marika Cabral, Christopher S. Carpenter, Amy Finkelstein, Atul Gupta, Petra Persson, Michael R. Richards, and Molly Schnell
July 29-30, 2026
Royal Sonesta Hotel, 40 Edwin H. Land Blvd., Cambridge, MA
Room: Charles AB
Wednesday, July 29
8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am
Welcome and Introductions
9:20 am

Thinking versus Doing: Cognitive Capacity, Decision Making and Medical Diagnosis

Benjamin R. Handel, University of California, Berkeley and NBER
Louis-Jonas Heizlsperger, University of California, Berkeley
Jonas Knecht, University of California, Berkeley
Jonathan T. Kolstad, University of California, Berkeley and NBER
Ulrike Malmendier, University of California, Berkeley and NBER
Filip Matějka, CERGE-EI
10:05 am
Break
EGG TIMER SESSION
10:20 am

The Early-Career Effects of Mental Illness

Kaveh Danesh, University of California, Berkeley
Arlen Guarin, The World Bank
Christian Manuel Posso-Suárez, Banco de la República de Colombia
10:30 am

The Labor Market Costs of Mental Health: Evidence from Depression, Anxiety, and Self-harm

Elisa Jácome, Northwestern University and NBER
Emily Cuddy, Duke University
Ronja Helénsdotter, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
10:40 am

From Payer to Provider: Impacts of Insurer Vertical Expansion into Physician Services

Jeffrey D. Marr, Brown University
Christopher M. Whaley, Brown University
Xiaoxi Zhao, Brown University
10:50 am

The Effects of Deleting Medical Debt from Consumer Credit Reports

Victor Duarte, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Julia Fonseca, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and NBER
Divij Kohli, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Julian Reif, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and NBER
11:00 am
Break
11:30 am

From Free Rider to Innovator: The Rise of China’s Drug Development

Panle Jia Barwick, University of Wisconsin - Madison and NBER
Hongyuan Xia, Cornell University
Tianli Xia, University of Rochester
12:15 pm
Lunch
1:15 pm

Quality in the Generic Drug Market

Emily Cuddy, Duke University
Molly Schnell, Northwestern University and NBER
2:00 pm
Break
2:15 pm

Housing First or Treatment First? Evidence from the VA's Homelessness Programs

Sydney Costantini, University of California, Berkeley
3:00 pm
Break
3:15 pm

The Consequences of Being Denied an Abortion on Women’s Physical and Mental Health

Juliana Londoño-Vélez, University of California, Los Angeles and NBER
Estefania Saravia, University of California, Los Angeles
4:00 pm
Adjourn
Thursday, July 30
8:50 am
Breakfast
9:20 am

The Good Doctors: Cost and Mortality Effects of U.S. PCPs

Jason Abaluck, Yale University and NBER
Zachary Bleemer, Princeton University and NBER
Peter Hull, Brown University and NBER
Amanda Starc, Northwestern University and NBER
10:05 am
Break
EGG TIMER SESSION
10:20 am

Beyond the Battlefield: The Impact of War on Expatriates' Health and Livelihoods

Mounir Karadja, Uppsala University
Akib Khan, Stockholm School of Economics
Linna Marten, Stockholm University
10:30 am

Two Inefficiencies of Self-Selection: Evidence from Health Care

Toshiaki Iizuka, The University of Tokyo
Junya Kawamura, The University of Tokyo
Hitoshi Shigeoka, Simon Fraser University and NBER
10:40 am

Dying Better: Hospice Care and the End of Life

Yunan Ji, Georgetown University and NBER
Edward Kong, Harvard University
Maya Roy, Harvard University
10:50 am

Health Care Reform and Firm Dynamics: Evidence from Medicare Part D and the Retail Pharmacy Industry

Brandyn F. Churchill, American University and NBER
Georgina Cisneros, American University
Kelli R. Marquardt, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
11:00 am
Break
11:30 am

Waiting or Paying for Healthcare: Evidence from the Veterans Health Administration

Anna Russo, Harvard University
12:15 pm
Lunch
1:15 pm

Going for Broker? Intermediation in Health Insurance Markets

Anran Li, University of Minnesota Twin Cities and NBER
Tong Liu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Anthony T. Lo Sasso, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Nicholas Tilipman, Johns Hopkins University
2:00 pm
Break
2:15 pm

Fragmented Insurance and Billing Frictions: Understanding Denied Health Insurance Claims

Riley League, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and NBER
Mark Shepard, Harvard University and NBER
Myles Wagner, The Ohio State University
3:00 pm
Break
3:15 pm

Vertical Integration and Regulated Profits in Pharmacy Benefits Markets

Eric Yde, University of Virginia
4:00 pm
Adjourn