To examine the drivers of innovation, this paper studies the global R&D effort to fight the deadliest diseases and presents four results. We find: (1) global pharmaceutical R&D activity – measured by clinical trials – typically follows the 'law of diminishing efforts': i.e. the elasticity of...

The 340B Drug Pricing Program was instituted to bolster the health care safety net without relying on taxpayer money. It allows participating health care facilities – most of which are hospitals – to purchase drugs filled at in-house or contracted external pharmacies at discounts from...

In 2021, the Biden Administration issued mandates requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for U.S. federal employees and contractors and for some healthcare and private sector workers. Although these mandates have been subject to legal challenges and some have been halted or delayed, rigorous appraisal...

Reference prices constitute a main determinant of patient health care reimbursement in many countries. We study the effects of a change from an external (based on a basket of prices in other countries) to an internal (based on comparable domestic products) reference price system. We find that...

The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) introduced a mandate requiring chain restaurants to post calorie counts on menus and menu boards. This paper investigates whether and why calorie posting laws work. To do so, we develop a model of calories consumed that highlights two...

Reference prices constitute a main determinant of patient health care reimbursement in many countries. We study the effects of a change from an "external" (based on a basket of prices in other countries) to an "internal" (based on comparable domestic products) reference price system. We find...

We study the effect of state medical marijuana laws on labor supply among older adults; the demographic group with the highest rates of many health conditions for which marijuana may be an effective treatment. We use the Health and Retirement Study to study this question and estimate...