Ellen Meara

Picture of Harvard Yard iron gate with a tree in orange fall foliage in background.

Do you know someone who wants to learn about Health Policy PhD programs? Tell them to register for the Harvard Health Policy Admissions Info Session. Tuesday, 10/28/25 @ 2 pm Eastern.

I had the great privilege of interviewing @johncawley.bsky.social for the ASHEcon newsletter. Check out our discussion and several other great interviews in the fall edition of the newsletter!

www.ashecon.org/category/new...

Ben Sommers and I have a new piece up at @jamahealthforum.com on how to think about generalizing lessons from unwinding to looming new Medicaid red tape requirements.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

We appreciate support from the @commonwealthfund.org for this work!

A new study from researchers at UNC found that only 32.7% of substance use disorder treatment facilities offered perinatal programs. Learn more about their findings here: buff.ly/RDZcx4U

Woman standing in front of graph of upward sloping lines.

Pragya Kakani giving a great talk on integration of oncologists at #IHEA2025.

When plans for the car ferry fall through, try plan B… Now safely in Bali for #IHEA2025.

Opinion | The true cost of the GOP’s megabill will be measured in lives. Tens of thousands of lives. It’s a predictable result when you cut off health insurance to people who are old, poor and sick.

The true cost of the reconciliation bill will be measured in lives—over 50,000 per year.

It’s a predictable result when you cut off insurance to people who are old, poor and sick.

Eric Roberts @pennldi.bsky.social and I discuss @msnbc.com @harvardhpm.bsky.social

www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...

So excited to see Carolyn San Soucie present on health care utilization around age 19 Medicaid redetermination at @ashecon.bsky.social

Congratulations, Jose! This is well deserved.

Why one family that relies on Medicaid has faith in President Trump Families of infants and toddlers from around the country are in Washington, D.C. this week to tell lawmakers to protect Medicaid.

HPM's Adrianna McIntyre chats with @wbur.org about potential implications of Medicaid cuts on children, work requirements, and more. @adrianna.bsky.social @hsph.harvard.edu

Loss of Subsidized Drug Coverage and Mortality among Medicare Beneficiaries | NEJM A total of 14 million Medicare beneficiaries receive the Low-Income Subsidy (LIS), which reduces cost sharing in Medicare Part D. Losing the LIS may impede medication access and affect mortality. U...

Eric Roberts and @joefigs.bsky.social led a groundbreaking new study on Medicaid and Medicare, out today in NEJM. I’m lucky to have been a part of it.

Medicare saves lives. But is it enough to save lives of the most vulnerable Americans? The study suggests no; Medicaid still matters. (1/11)

Table 1. Characteristics of Veterans With Medicare Advantage vs Traditional Medicare, 2018-2021

Veterans in Medicare Advantage and Traditional Medicare used dental and vision services at similar rates, with no significant difference in total spending. #SGIM25

https://ja.ma/3ZficKj

Trends in Launch Prices and Price Increases for Self-Administered Anticancer Drugs in Medicare This study examines trends in launch prices and price increases for anticancer therapies covered under Medicare Part D and approved from 2010 to 2024.

Excited to share new work in @jama.com on launch prices for cancer drugs in Medicare Part D. Prices are going up, but no trend change post-IRA. Mean monthly launch prices increased from $10,954 in 2012-2014 to $27,891 in 2023-2025. Many thanks to @arnoldventures.bsky.social for funding this work!

One final note for @gregsargent.bsky.social and others asking, this evidence, on policies that save or cost lives for people living in every state, is at risk with cuts to federal research funds.

3. Small choices, like the choice to let dual Medicare-Medicaid beneficiaries keep the LIS for some months after Medicaid loss, save many lives.

2. Disruptions in insurance coverage have many harms. Yet, our patchwork health insurance is full of such “unforced errors”. Gaps in coverage rise after reaching key age, income, or other eligibility cutoffs, or because people struggle to show they are still eligible.

There are many lessons. 1. Lower drug costs save lives. Efforts to lower drug costs to patients while supporting high-value innovation are needed.

Image show two lines tracing percent of people surviving (y-axis) by months since Medicaid disenrollment (x-axis). Starting at 6 months through 24 months, the line for Early Medicaid disenrollment is lower.

17 months after losing Medicaid, deaths were 3 per 1000 HIGHER in the group losing the LIS sooner. Note that these people still had Medicare coverage.

Depending on the month they leave Medicaid, some lose the LIS “early” within 6-12 months and some lose LIS “late”, 12-18 months later.

Eric Roberts of @pennmedicine.bsky.social and @joefigs.bsky.social of @hsph.harvard.edu led this clever and careful study of dual Medicare-Medicaid beneficiaries. Each year 7-8% of these folks lose Medicaid & with it, help with drug costs, the low income subsidy (LIS).

Loss of Subsidized Drug Coverage and Mortality among Medicare Beneficiaries | NEJM A total of 14 million Medicare beneficiaries receive the Low-Income Subsidy (LIS), which reduces cost sharing in Medicare Part D. Losing the LIS may impede medication access and affect mortality. U...

Loss of Subsidized Drug Coverage and Mortality among Medicare Beneficiaries | New England Journal of Medicine www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
How important is help with drug costs? For dual Medicare-Medicaid beneficiaries, it saves lives.

I’d say that 1. VBC has a role, not that it is “the” driver 2. 1 reason it’s hard to measure effect is that comparison groups have lots of VBC too and 3. The effect has more to do with direction of systems away from (v. Toward) FFS (that is the zeitgeist).

This interview and spending a day asking AI to “teach me” about a policy topic have me equally terrified + impressed. After AI gave clear bulleted answers to my questions and it ranked answers in importance, it offered to give me a playbook to persuade…

The Value Zeitgeist — Considering the Slowdown in Health Care Spending Growth | NEJM Over the past two decades, the health care spending growth rate in the United States has declined. But reducing the emphasis on value-based care could lead to a resurgence in spending growth.

**What has slowed health care spending growth in the U.S. over the past two decades?**
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

The Value Zeitgeist — Considering the Slowdown in Health Care Spending Growth | NEJM Over the past two decades, the health care spending growth rate in the United States has declined. But reducing the emphasis on value-based care could lead to a resurgence in spending growth.

The Value Zeitgeist — Considering the Slowdown in Health Care Spending Growth | New England Journal of Medicine www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.... @melindabbuntin.bsky.social , Carrie Colla, and I argue it's too soon to give up on value-based care.

Congrats to all of you!!!

New @nejm.org study with alarming results.

The wealthiest Americans do not live as long as the wealthiest in other countries.

In fact, mortality among the wealthiest Americans appeared to be similar to people in the poorest quartile in northern and western
Europe.

www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

Why is she under the table? Is she getting news alerts too?