Research Program
Healthcare Markets Initiative
U.S. healthcare markets suffer from both overuse and underuse. The challenge is developing the appropriate incentives that eliminate the inefficiencies which lead to some services being too expensive and reimbursements for other services being too low. The Healthcare Markets Initiative advances market-based solutions to health policy challenges in a variety of areas including rare diseases, medical devices and mental health.
Program Leadership
-
Matthew Kahn, PhD
Director, Healthcare Markets Initiative, USC Schaeffer Center
Provost Professor of Economics and Spatial Sciences, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Science
Featured Research

Addressing Challenges to Alternative Payment Models for New Alzheimer’s Disease Therapies for US Commercial Payers
Developing a blueprint to overcome challenges in implementing new payment models will ensure better access.

Prospects for Future Advances in Alzheimer’s Disease
This paper revisits expert predictions for advances in Alzheimer’s disease made in 2001 and projects future breakthroughs over the next 20 years.

The Costs of Developing Treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease: A Retrospective Exploration
In over 26 years of research and development in Alzheimer’s disease, only six novel drugs have reached FDA approval.

Spending On Targeted Therapies Reduced Mortality In Patients With Advanced-Stage Breast Cancer
Costly targeted therapies are playing an increasingly important role in treating cancer.
Healthcare Markets Researchers
-
Joseph Grogan, JD
Nonresident Senior Fellow, USC Schaeffer Center
Former Assistant, U.S. President
Former Director, Domestic Policy Council (DPC) -
Darius Lakdawalla, PhD
Director, Research, USC Schaeffer Center
Quintiles Chair in Pharmaceutical Development and Regulatory Innovation, USC School of Pharmacy
Professor, USC Price School of Public Policy
Medical Device Regulation and Reimbursement: What the Pandemic Revealed
Schaeffer Center Nonresident Senior Fellow and Former Director of the Domestic Policy Council Joe Grogan and AEI Senior Fellow and Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb joined Schaeffer Center Co-Director Erin Trish to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the FDA and CMS in an age of breakthrough medical devices.
Read Full StoryFeatured Perspectives

Aduhelm Decision Shows Medicare is Making a Mistake in the Fight Against Alzheimer’s
The medical need is too great that the FDA should not limit targeted therapies and diagnostics.

Medicare Coverage of Innovative Technologies: The U.S. Should do More to Speed Entry of Breakthrough Devices to Market
Equally pressing to FDA approval is the need to secure coverage from Medicare and Medicaid.

Biosimilars Competition Helps Patients More Than Generic Competition
Well-intended proposals to have the government intervene and “incentivize” biosimilar uptake may result in less price competition, not more.

Without Reform, Medicare Policies Will Hamstring New Gene Therapies
It took until the fall of 2020 – three years after FDA approval – for Medicare to consistently pay an adequate amount for CAR-T therapy.
Medicare Advantage Penetration Has Increased Across Rural and Urban Counties
All told, in 2022 MA penetration reached 49.9% nationally, and 24% of Medicare beneficiaries with Parts A and B lived in a county with adjusted MA penetration equal to or exceeding 60%.
Read Full Story
Get Involved
Learn more about HMI, including opportunities to collaborate