Two Hundred Years of Health and Medical Care: The Importance of Medical Care for Life Expectancy Gains
Using two hundred years of national and Massachusetts data on medical care and health, we examine how central medical care is to life expectancy gains. While common theories about medical care cost growth stress growing demand, our analysis highlights the importance of supply side factors, including the major public investments in research, workforce training and hospital construction that fueled a surge in spending over the 1955-1975 span. There is a stronger case that personal medicine affected health in the second half of the twentieth century than in the preceding 150 years. Finally, we consider whether medical care productivity decreases over time, and find that spending increased faster than life expectancy, although the ratio stabilized in the past two decades.
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We are grateful to Marcella Alsan, George Clark, Claudia Goldin, Marcis Kempe, and Charles Roehrig for helpful conversations and data leads. Maryaline Catillon gratefully acknowledges support by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R24AG048059 to the National Bureau of Economic Research. David Cutler gratefully acknowledges support by R37AG047312 from the National Institute of Aging. Tom Getzen gratefully acknowledges support by the Society of Actuaries grant on Modeling Long Run Medical Cost Trends. The content of this article is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health, the NBER, or the Society of Actuaries. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Bureau of Economic Research.
David CutlerOutside Activities
This page provides information on outside activities of Professor Cutler over the past five years.
Compensated Activities*
2013:
American Health Lawyers Association
American Medical Association
Book royalties “Your Money or Your Life"
Parenteral Drug Association
UBS
VHA2012:
Aon Hewitt
Book royalties “Your Money or Your Life"
Healthcare Financial Management Association
International Monetary Fund
The Lancet
National Council and Community Behavioral Healthcare
New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation
Northwestern Kellog School Susan Bies Lecture
TNR.com
Universitat Pompreu Fabra
VHA2011:
Allergan
Book royalties “Your Money or Your Life"
Connance Though Leadership Webinar Series InHealth Summit
InHealth Summit
Novartis
Novartis Spain
Partner's Healthcare Center for Connected Health
Siemans Healthcare
Wildavsky Forum UC Berkeley
World Health Care Congress2010:
American College of Physician Executives
America’s Health Insurance Plans
Book royalties “Your Money or Your Life"
CareSource
ChainDrugStore.net
The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Forces for Change: America’s Health Insurance Plans
Healthcare Financial Management Association
IMS Consulting
Kaiser Family Foundation
Med Impact Healthcare Systems, Inc.
Medtronic, Inc.
National Association of Drug Stores
National Bureau of Economic Research
Senate Presidents Forum
Society of Actuaries
Thomson Reuters
US Oncology2009:
Book royalties “Your Money or Your Life"
Brokers and Reinsurance Markets Association
The Capital Group Companies
Marcus Evans
National Bureau of Economic Research
National Pharmaceutical Council
Real Colegi Computense
University of Washington
Warburg Pincus2008:
Book royalties “Your Money or Your Life"
Cato Institute
Healthways
Kaiser Family Foundation (paper)
McKinsey
National Bureau of Economic Research
Partners HealthcareConsulting (present):
Fidelity Biosciences Advisory Board
Third WayConsulting (past):
Canadian Institute for Health Information
Genentech Advisory BoardTravel reimbursed by non-governmental and non-academic institutions
2013:
Center for American Progress
duPont Childrens Hospital
Health Affairs
National Bureau of Economic Research
National Institute of Health
Parenteral Drug Association
UBS
VHA2012:
Center for American Progress
Intermountain Healthcare
International Monetary Fund
Journal of American Medical Association
Kaiser Permanente
National Bureau of Economic Research
Spinemark International2011:
Aging Alliance
Alpine Bank
Center for American Progress
DEMOS
Ellison Foundation
National Bureau of Economic Research
Pharmacy Quality Alliance
Vascular Medical Society
World Bank2010
American Heart Association
Brookings Institute
Center for American Progress
CMS
Health Affairs
National Academy of Social Insurance
National Association of Business Economics
National Bureau of Economic Research
National Institute of Health
New Jersey Hospital Association
New York Presbyterian Hospital2009
Association of Academic Health
Brookings Institute
Center for American Progreass
Institute of Medicine
National Bureau of Economic Research
National Institute on Aging
National Press Club
New England Healthcare Institute
Peterson Foundation
Point Judith Capital
Robert Wood Johnson FoundationSignificant Non-Compensated Activities
Public Service (present):Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress
Member, Heath Policy Commission, Commonwealth of MassachusettsPublic Service (past):
Massachusetts Health Leaders for Appropriate and Affordable Care
Member, Group Insurance Commission, Commonwealth of MassachusettsProfessional Activities and Memberships:
Co-editor, Journal of Health Economics (compensated)
Member, Institute of Medicine
Research Associate, National Bureau of Economic Research, Aging, Health Care, Public Economics, and Productivity programs
Fellow, Employee Benefit Research Institute
Member, National Academy of Social Insurance
Member, Institute for Research on Poverty*Excludes honoraria from non-profit institutions, government agencies, and academic journals of $3,000 or less in a given year, and payments from for-profit firms of $500 or less in a given year.
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