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
The Value of Accelerated Medical Device Reimbursement
Expediting breakthrough medical device reimbursement has become a recent public policy issue. This paper provides evidence of the value of faster reimbursement of new medical devices using a comprehensive dataset of past approved devices. The estimation considers the...
Policy Brief: The Impact of Price Setting at 9 Years on Small Molecule Innovation Under the Inflation Reduction Act
This policy brief provides a quantitative analysis of how the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) policy to set prices for select small molecule drugs 9 years after FDA approval impacts innovation and patient health. Price setting...
Ending Pay for PBM Performance: Consequences for Prescription Drug Prices, Utilization, and Government Spending
Proposed “delinking” legislation would prohibit Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) from being remunerated based on the rebates and discounts they negotiate for drug insurance plans serving Medicare beneficiaries. This policy would significantly change drug pricing and...
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In the Press
Both Sides of the Aisle Have Misguided Views on Intellectual-Property Rights | National Review | 04/26/2024
By Tomas J. Philipson April 26, 2024 Both the Left and the Right need a better understanding of how product improvements through novel innovation...
COVID-19 Biopharmaceutical Innovation and Industry Appropriation | April 2024
The rapid emergence of vaccines and therapeutics in response to the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic demonstrated the value of medical...
Why Prescription Drugs Cost So Much | The Washington Post | 04/12/2024
By Tomas J. Philipson April 12, 2024 In their April 9 op-ed, “Big Pharma’s high prices don’t drive innovation,” Avik Roy and Gregg Girvan argued...
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!