On NPR’s Planet Money, Zack Cooper Explains the Economics of Hospital Beds

On a Planet Money podcast, NPR takes a close look at New York’s Bellevue Hospital, the oldest public hospital in the country that has throughout history dealt with outbreaks of yellow fever, cholera, typhus, polio, the 1918 flu, Ebola, and now COVID.  Like many  hospitals, Bellevue has a shortage of beds. Our health economist, Zack Cooper, explains why this dearth of beds is happening all over the country, and the surprising reason that it is seen as a sign of medical progress.

Listen to the podcast here.  (21 minutes)