@bradfowd1.bsky.social
Health economist. Editor-in-Chief at Health Economics. Professor at the University of Georgia - which really wants me to clarify these are my opinions and not those of UGA. https://spia.uga.edu/faculty-member/w-david-bradford
Argentina’s zero-tolerance drunk-driving laws didn’t deliver. A new study finds no drop in traffic deaths and higher injury rates after adoption, with little change in drinking behavior. Tough rules didn’t shift the risks that matter.
Policy intent ≠ policy impact. tinyurl.com/7dkxbbw9
Most health studies model doctor and non-doctor visits separately. This paper shows why that misses the point: the two are tightly linked, driven by shared behaviors and unobserved traits.
Joint modeling reveals who actually uses care—and how.
👉 tinyurl.com/5e7zanfu
New US claims data show a sharp ⬇️ in children’s asthma medication adherence during COVID — especially among the youngest children.
Evidence points to parental attention as a key driver. Mail-order refills softened the decline.
tinyurl.com/2mv5a85d
Excited to see UMD highlight some work with
Felipe Lozano Rojas, Victoria Bethel, and @bradfowd1.bsky.social
This is a grossly anti-American infringement on 1A and academic freedom by Texas A&M. I taught transgender policy this week in my @uga-spia.bsky.social undergrad class. Students appreciate the chance to think about the issues. They can handle it!
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
Can paying people to vaccinate backfire?
A new study finds that 1 in 7 vaccine-hesitant adults who would have accepted a COVID-19 shot declined when offered money. Incentives reduced trust in vaccine safety & weakened prosocial motivation to vaccinate. tinyurl.com/4r885vkx
When outpatient care becomes affordable, patients don’t just visit the clinic more—they uncover hidden health needs.
A new study finds that expanded chronic disease coverage in China increased both outpatient and inpatient use, revealing the cost of delayed care.
tinyurl.com/4rnx2tyf
I just saw that @ossoff.senate.gov / @ossoff.bsky.social voted “no” on reopening government before the ACA fix is in place. Thank you Senator!
10.11.2025 02:44 — 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0I just saw @ossoff.senate.gov / @ossoff.bsky.social voted “no” on the resolution to reopen. Thank you senator!
10.11.2025 02:42 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Hey, @schumer.senate.gov , I’m not one of your constituents, but I swear to God, if the senate Dems cave and sign off on a budget without *first* fixing the ACA subsidy problem I will give every penny I can to whoever primaries you. At this point you’re nothing but a worthless MAGA enabler.
10.11.2025 02:39 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
New study finds that U.S. regions hardest hit by Japan’s manufacturing surge in the 1970s–80s saw higher cardiovascular & drug-related deaths among Black workers, but not whites.
Trade shocks can deepen health inequality.
tinyurl.com/ms3zm6su
Cleaner air, healthier beginnings 🌎👶
A new study finds that the EPA’s air-quality reforms did more than cut pollution—they improved lives from birth.
💡 Low birth weight ↓ 5.5%
💡 Very preterm births ↓ 13%
💡 Biggest gains for Black, low-educated & single mothers
tinyurl.com/2pachbzr
Enhanced social care can reshape healthcare use.
A new study finds that after joining Australia’s NDIS, people with disability made fewer subsidized mental & allied health visits—suggesting social care may replace, not raise, demand for clinical care. tinyurl.com/ywesp92z
Honestly, I think Donald Trump is the greatest weapon against the Republican Party; MAGA has destroyed pretty much everything that remained of traditional American conservatism. But I take your point about Fuentes viz the old GOP… but not with respect to MAGA. He embodies MAGA.
02.11.2025 12:10 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Who says economists are out of touch with real people and that our work is irrelevant???
tinamarshdalton.substack.com/p/halloween-...
Registration is open for the Fifth Ireland Masterclass in Health Economics, which will be held March 18-20, 2026 in Galway at @uniofgalway.bsky.social.
To register, email Ciaran O'Neill at Ciaran.ONeill@qub.ac.uk
More info here:
www.maxwell.syr.edu/research/cen...
When maternity wards are crowded, mothers receive fewer medical interventions—and newborns fare better. Evidence from Norway suggests that “less can be more” in healthcare.
Read the study in Health Economics: tinyurl.com/mpd5w3yj
🤖 Can robots make us healthier?
A new study finds that regions with higher robot adoption show ⬇️ in chronic diseases.
As robots replace physically demanding jobs, they may reduce worker stress & improve overall wellbeing. tinyurl.com/yj2mf926
When a spouse dies, the surviving partner’s need for institutional long-term care spikes—by 1.5 percentage point within 3 months, then fades by 10.
Early post-bereavement support is key to sustaining “aging-in-place.”
Read our new paper: tinyurl.com/zpubkxhu
📢 New in Health Economics: The first large-scale longitudinal study (25,000 adults, 14 years) shows how #hope shapes health, education, work, resilience & social outcomes.
tinyurl.com/4e43zeyb @brookings.edu @uni-of-warwick.bsky.social
Woman in charge of U.S. program to traffic humans arrives in London for human trafficking summit.
07.10.2025 17:26 — 👍 9 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 1
To drink or not to drink? 🥂
New in Health Economics: Cognitive skills link to frequent but lighter drinking, noncognitive skills lower risky use, while social skills raise both consumption and binge risk.
tinyurl.com/3dftmvs4
📉 The ACA reduced uninsured rates—but not equally.
In the U.S. South, counties in states with less oppressive racial histories gained far more than neighbors across the border with deeper Jim Crow legacies.
History still shapes who benefits from reform: tinyurl.com/537z5ysx
📈 Once niche, health economics is now central to the field.
A new study shows its share in top journals tripled since the 1990s—driven not by conformity, but by innovative, high-quality research.
Health is shaping the future of economics.
👣 In Ethiopia, untreated clubfoot cuts children’s mobility, mental health & schooling significantly.
Early Ponseti treatment restores up to 71–82% of lost human flourishing.
A $500 intervention with life-changing impact.
In Sweden, mothers with less schooling were more likely to vaccinate after reading scientific messages. But emotional survivor stories backfired—reducing uptake among high school–educated mothers.
🎯Targeted framing can shift outcomes.
Flu season is coming. 🍂💉
A French study shows that invitation letters & free vouchers boost vaccination—especially among the most risk-averse.
Clearer, targeted campaigns could save thousands. tinyurl.com/y7frzfk2 @universityofleeds.bsky.social
Does the way we frame #contraceptive effectiveness change people’s choices?
New evidence shows risk and time framings—“5% will get pregnant” vs “95% won’t”—shift preferences in measurable ways.
