New ISPS Research on Healthcare Politics and Spending

A new ISPS collaborative research study by Zack Cooper, Amanda Kowalski, Eleanor Powell and Jennifer Wu looks at the revolving door of health care politics. Published as a NBER Working Paper, “Politics, Hospital Behavior, and Healthcare Spending” follows an obscure rule, Section 508, and how it affects Medicare waiver payments to hospitals, resulting in more staff hires (though with no changes in the mortality rate),  enormous CEO pay hikes (up to 81%), and an increase in campaign contributions from healthcare industry (up to 65%). 

 

Related media:

The Economist:  “Blame Congress for High Health-Care Costs.”

Politico:  “Pulse Check: When Politicians Used Medicare as a Piggy Bank.”