The Role of Private Plans in Medicare

Individuals, when faced with the choice, are often unsure of whether to sign up for traditional Medicare or for a private insurance plan, such as the Medicare Advantage Plan. Joe Newhouse discusses reforms in the mid-2000s that had a surprising—and some would say counterintuitive—effect on Medicare Advantage Plans.

Newhouse—former vice chair of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission—spent the first twenty years of his career at RAND, where he designed and directed the landmark RAND Health Insurance Experiment. He is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including a lifetime achievement award from the American Society of Health Economists.

Featured Speaker

Joseph P. Newhouse

Joseph P. Newhouse

John D. MacArthur Professor of Health Policy and Management, Harvard University

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