Opinion Pieces

"It’s time to fund America’s investments in the future," The Hill, November 12, 2022

“The economic case for federal investment in COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics remains strong,” Brookings, April 1, 2022.

“Designing benefit plans for ‘platform workers’,” CommonWealth Magazine, February 2022. Also available as NBER Working Paper #29736 at: https://www.nber.org/papers/w29736

“Designing Smart Insurer Networks,” policy brief, 1% Steps for Health Care Reform, 2021.

“The Infrastructure Success Story in Chatanooga,” The American Prospect, June 17, 2021 (with Andy Berke).

“Infrastructure for the Next American Century,” Project Syndicate, April 29, 2021 (with Simon Johnson).

“A simple regulation would save American care buyers $5 billion and help boost the U.S. economy,” Business Insider, Feb 21, 2021 (with Tobias Salz).

“Health Insurance – and lives – on the line in Georgia runoff,” The Augusta Chronicle, December 19, 2020 (with Ben Sommers).

“We should have a national cash lottery to encourage people to take the COVID vaccine and share how well it works,” Business Insider, December 10, 2020.

“Generic Drug Repurposing for Public Health and National Security: COVID-19 and Beyond,” Health Affairs Blog, December 8, 2020 (with Rena M. Conti, Susan Athey, and Richard G. Frank). 

“Post-Election US: The Pandemic, the Economy and Funding,” Institut Montaigne, December 3, 2020 (with Richard Frank).

“Strengthening the Medicare Trust Fund in the Era of COVID-19,” Health Affairs Blog, June 10, 2020, (with David Cutler, Richard Frank and Joseph Newhouse).

“Why Do We Only Care About Long-Term Care in a Crisis?,” The Hill, May 22, 2020, (with Richard Frank, Bianca Frogner, and David Grabowski).

“Another Pandemic is Coming.  Will We Be Ready?,” Newsweek, May 14, 2020, (with Arup Chakrobarty).

“Telehealth, Not the ER, Must Be the Front Line in the War on Coronavirus,” Newsweek, April 7, 2020. 

"An enormous surge in uninsured sick people is coming. Here’s how to pay for them," Washington Post, March 30, 2020.

“Housing costs are a problem in Boston and beyond, but rent control isn’t the answer,” Boston Globe, January 17, 2020.

“The Future of Health Care?  Affordability and Inclusiveness,” Boston Globe, December 23, 2019. 

“Don’t Let Activist Judges Threaten American Lives,” Newsweek, December 20, 2019.

"We need new research hubs — but not on the coasts. Here’s how we get them." New York Times, December 6, 2019 (with Simon Johnson).

“To Counter China, Out-Invent It,” Foreign Affairs, September 12, 2019.

 “How to Rebuild America’s Economic Foundations,” Project Syndicate, May 1, 2019 (with Simon Johnson).

 “Do as the Doctor Says, Not as He or She Does,” STAT online, July 22, 2019. 

 “How to Make America Grow Again,” Bloomberg, April 25, 2019 (with Simon Johnson).

"How to jump-start America Boston Globe, April 15, 2018 (with Simon Johnson).

“Texas court strikes down Affordable Care Act, putting the health of Americans and our democracy at risk,” Boston Globe, December 15, 2018.

“Don’t Listen to  Cheap Talk on Pre-Existing Conditions Exclusions,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 27, 2018.

“We are Even More Convinced That Thousands Will Die Prematurely if the ACA is Repealed,” Washington Post, December 12, 2017 (with Lawrence Summers).

“GOP Tax Plan Will Stunt Innovation in its Infancy,” The Hill, December 1, 2017.

“The Senate Bill Would Make the Opioid Epidemic Worse.  Here’s How,” Washington Post, July 13, 2017 (with Angela Kilby).

“You’re Probably Going to Need Medicaid,” New York Times, June 13, 2017 (with David Grabowski and Vincent Mor).

“Trump Says Obamacare is broken.  He’s the one who broke it,” Washington Post, May 6, 2017.

“Republicans astonishing health care hypocrisy,” New York Daily News, May 4, 2017.

“Repeal Bill is Still a Nightmare for Those with Preexisting Conditions,” Fortune, May 4, 2017.

“How the Republicans Stole Health Care,” U.S. News and World Report, March 9, 2017.

“Obamacare Expert: Scrapping the Individual Mandate Will Only Worsen Health Care’s Biggest Problems,” Fortune, March 8, 2017.

“The ACA is Working – And There Is No Replacement,” Harvard Law and Policy Review, March 8, 2017.

“Repealing the Affordable Care Act: Fact vs. Fiction,” Boston Globe, December 9, 2016
(with Ben Sommers).

“Trump’s Trick Operation: Fixing Obamacare is Far More Delicate Than it Seems,” New York Daily News, November 27, 2016.

“What Could Be Worse than Repealing All of Obamacare?,” New York Times, November 14, 2016.

“Obamacare: What We Didn’t See Coming,” Politico, July 21, 2016.

In-hospital Care Save Money – and Lives,” Boston Globe, March 31, 2015.

Obamacare Enrollment is Far From Over,” Talking Points Memo, April 1, 2014.

 “Obamacare Critics Still Just Tell One Side of the Jobs Story,” The New Republic, February 13, 2014.

 “Obamacare: It’s a Net Gain for the Economy,” LA Times, February 9, 2014.

 “When Will We Get the Verdict on Obamacare?,” CNN, January 2, 2014.

The Cadillac Tax: A Game Changer for U.S. Health Care,” Harvard Business Review Blog, November 15, 2013.

“Will the Health Care Law Help Small Businesses? Yes: At Last, Firms Will Have Affordable
Options
,” Wall Street Journal, August 19, 2013.

"Will the Affordable Care Act Kill Jobs?,” The New Republic, July 8, 2012.

Massachusetts Must Remain a Model on Health Care,” The Boston Globe, June 29, 2012.

“A Thank You to Gov. Mitt Romney for Signing Massachusetts’ Historic Health Care Reform,” MassLive, April 12, 2012.

“Why the Individual Mandate is Effective and Efficient," The Daily Beast, March 26, 2012.

Health Care Reform in Wisconsin: The Facts." from Wisconsin Opinion.com, Sept 2, 2011.

"Howard Dean Wrong, Individual Mandate Right," The New Republic, October 21, 2010.

"A Health Reform Critic Flunks Math," The New Republic, October 20, 2010.

"'Cadillac' Tax isn’t a Tax – It’s a Plan to Finance Real Health Reform," Washington Post, December 28, 2009.

"Reform Requires Consumer Pressure," Boston Globe, September 3, 2009.

"A Loophole Worth Closing," New York Times, July 12, 2009.

"The Role of Individual Mandates in Health Care Reform,"  The National Institute for Health Care Management, January 2009. 

"Medicine for the Job Market," New York Times, December 4, 2008.