Federal Event:"The Optimal Design of Subsidies Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" | February

"The Optimal Design of Subsidies Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act"

February 3rd, 12:15-1:30 PM, 1203 Van Munching Hall

ohn Graves is a PhD candidate in Health Policy at Harvard University. John’s research focuses on dynamic program evaluation through the use of microsimulation and event history modeling. In his primary job market paper, John provides theoretical and empirical guidance to policymakers charged with the design of an advance subsidy program for health insurance under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). This work involves the exposition of theoretical and empirical microsimulation models demonstrating the impact of subsidy allocation error on subsidy take-up, costs and welfare. In his other research, John draws upon methods in survival analysis to study how the duration of uninsurance spells evolve in the wake of major health care reform. Finally, over the last two years John was also active in the development and early implementation of the ACA. As the lead microsimulation modeler for Jonathan Gruber of MIT, John worked first-hand on the legislation by providing technical and budgetary guidance to policymakers in the White House and in Congress. This work built off his graduate training in economics, biostatistics, and statistics, as well as his experience as a full-time and contract researcher for the Urban Institute between 2003 and 2009.