The Initiative on Enabling Choice and Competition in Healthcare

The dominant theory in economics for centuries in the Western world has been the free market system, yet the ability of competitive markets to provide quality care has been a central point of recent debate. Extensive government regulation, though well-intentioned, adversely affects the overall health of Americans, inhibits medical innovation, and demands enormous tax-payer investment. The Initiative on Enabling Choice and Competition in Healthcare delivers cutting edge research on the efficiencies of competitiveness in the healthcare sector to demonstrate that free market forces can and do work to provide innovative, equitable, and high-quality care.

Our Vision

To be the leading university-based research center in free-market healthcare, promoting choice and competition to ensure greater access to existing care and new innovations.

Our Mission

To conduct evidence-based research and analyses on market-based choice and competition in the healthcare sector to lead to better-informed policy recommendations.

Working Papers

Issue Brief: The Impact of HR 5376 on Antiviral Innovation and Patient Health

by jmanor | Nov 29, 2021 | White Papers

This issue brief reviews the evidence-base to assess the impact HR 5376 on innovation into antivirals and patient health. A large academic literature estimates the effect of future drug revenues on R&D spending and finds that on average that a 1 percent reduction...

Issue Brief: The Evidence Base on The Impact of Price Controls on Medical Innovation

by jmanor | Sep 14, 2021 | Uncategorized, White Papers

This issue brief reviews the evidence on the impact of price controls on biopharmaceutical innovation and calibrates what this evidence implies for recent price control proposals in the US. A large academic literature estimates the effect of future drug revenues on...

The Incidence and Magnitude of the Health Costs of In-person Schooling during the COVID-19 Pandemic

by susuguo | Jul 24, 2021 | White Papers

The health costs of in-person schooling during the pandemic, if any, fall primarily on the families of students, largely owing to the fact that students significantly outnumber teach- ers. Data from North Carolina, Wisconsin, Australia, England, and Israel covering...

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How Chicago Economics is Helping End a Pandemic: Enabling Choice and Competition in Healthcare

Operation Warp Speed is a historic milestone for economic research on medical innovation that occurred over decades on the University of Chicago campus. Chicago’s research results, traditions, and emphasis were brought to the federal government in 2017 by several of its faculty and alumni. In the three years before COVID-19 came to the United States, that economic team showed the President of the United States how federal policy reforms were delivering real value to consumers by encouraging innovation in healthcare industries.

Read the full paper here.

Learn more about Operation Warp Speed:

In the Press

The SMART Prices Act Deserves a Failing Grade | RealClearHealth | 07/31/2023

by susuguo | Jul 31, 2023

Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota recently introduced legislation called the SMART Prices Act, short for Strengthening Medicare and Reducing Taxpayer...

Mulligan, Philipson Cited in the 2023 Joint Economic Report | Report of the Joint Economic Committee Congress of the United States on the 2023 Economic Report of the President | 7/27/2023

by mheinl | Jul 27, 2023

See citations on pp. 184, 195, 196. View the full report here.

A new Alzheimer’s drug wins FDA approval, but why it may still be out of reach. | USA Today | 07/07/2023

by susuguo | Jul 7, 2023

Delays in getting Leqembi and other potential Alzheimer's drugs to patients early can be costly to the healthcare system, too, as Alzheimer's...

2024 ECCHC Supply-Side Economics in Healthcare Conference – Watch Now!

The 2024 ECCHC Supply-side Economics in Healthcare Conference convened both in-person and virtually on Friday, May 3. Watch the full conference, or individual presentations and learn more about the conference here!