We examine the impact of U.S. states’ adoption of the partnership long-term care (LTC) insurance program on households’ purchases of private coverage. Targeting middle-class households, this program increases the benefits of privately insuring via a higher asset threshold for Medicaid...

Digitization of cable TV systems has permitted not only higher quality (HD) programming, but a proliferation of channel space, sparking a second wave of cable programming network entry since the late 1990s. Finer and finer segmentation of cable networks toward niche audiences, including racial...

This paper modifies the optimal penalty analysis by incorporating investment incentives with external benefits. In the models examined, the recommendation that the optimal penalty should internalize the marginal social harm is no longer valid as a general rule. We focus on antitrust...

The Partnership long-term care (PLTC) insurance program is a major initiative partnering state Medicaid programs and private insurers in an attempt in increase take-up of long-term care insurance by older Americans. Prior work has shown that, while the program is aimed at middle-wealth...

This paper revisits the relationship between nurse staffing and quality of care in nursing homes using an instrumental variables approach. Most prior studies rely on cross-sectional evidence, which renders causal inference problematic and policy recommendations inappropriate. We exploit...

We study the effect of hospital adoption of electronic medical records (EMRs) on health outcomes, particularly patient safety indicators (PSIs). We find evidence of a positive impact of EMRs on PSIs via decision support rather than care coordination. Consistent with this mechanism, we find an...

This paper develops a dynamic model of entry and exit to analyze quality choice and oligopoly market structure in the nursing home industry. The model is estimated using a hybrid two-step estimator. I find significant heterogeneity in the competitive effects across market structures: firms of...

This paper examines minimum staffing requirements in the nursing home market using a unique national panel over the period from 1996-2005. It allows staffing requirements for licensed nurses and direct-care nurses to have differential impacts on the supply and quality of patient care. It finds...

We present a new model of negligence and causation and examine the influence of the negligence test, in the presence of intervening causation, on the level of care. In this model, the injurer’s decision to take care reduces the likelihood of an accident only in the event that some...