Ben Ippolito

@ben_ippolito

Economist at by way of and

Washington, DC
aei.org/scholar/benedi…
Joined November 2016
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  1. Dec 14

    Some of the time trends in this survey seem rather confusing given what we've seen in other data, like checking account data.

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  2. Dec 14

    "About one-fifth of households earning above $120,000 a year (20%) report not seeking care in the three months prior to being surveyed because of cost, up from just 3% in March." Going from 3% to 20% from March to Sept of 2021? Hmmm

    In the latest research from and Gallup, 59% of Americans say they have grown more worried about the cost of healthcare services because of COVID-19, and 45% have grown more worried about the cost of prescription drugs.
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  3. Dec 10

    Comparing the revenues of successful drugs with R&D costs *of those drugs* is so uninformative. Of course revenues are much higher...you've selected the subsample that were successful!

    1 reply 2 retweets 16 likes
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  4. Dec 10

    Since my wording was sloppy before, worth clarifying that I'm saying it's worth asking whether this reflects tacit collusion in these markets.

    If firms are straight up colluding on prices, then it seems like a place for the FTC or DOJ to step in (whether drug firms or anyone else)
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  5. Dec 10

    If firms are straight up colluding on prices, then it seems like a place for the FTC or DOJ to step in (whether drug firms or anyone else)

    7 replies 9 retweets 38 likes
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  6. Dec 9

    Somewhat ironically, both sides of this lawsuit will be able to quote members of Congress explicitly supporting their interpretation of congressional intent.

    New: American Hospital Association, American Medical Association sue Biden admin over surprise billing rules, saying they depart from text of law Congress passed last year Part of intense lobbying campaign btw docs, hospitals, insurers, consumer groups
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  7. Retweeted
    Dec 7

    Our comments on No Surprises Act Rulemaking: Part II Primarily, we commend the Departments for direction that should help ensure IDR decisions are consistent & predictable. We also recommend public reporting to include who the arbitrator is in each case

    1 retweet 11 likes
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  8. Dec 6

    I thought the inflation penalties were described as rebates, unlike other penalties which are explicitly described as excise taxes. Is there no legal distinction? Or is this just attempting to frame for parliamentarian purposes?

    Third, we’re going to end the days where drug companies could increase their prices with no oversight. Going forward, those that increase their prices faster than inflation will face a steep excise tax. They will be held accountable when they raise prices on the American people.
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  9. Dec 3

    "The bottom line is Americans are nearly ungovernable in a pandemic" is quite a revealing blanket summary of the last two years.

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  10. Nov 23

    I wonder if there are any private industries where the public would answer the underlying question fundamentally differently.

    Drug companies say high prices are needed to support research into new drugs, but few agree w/that argument. 90% of Republicans and 96% of Democrats say even if drug prices were lower, the companies would make enough money to support research.
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  11. Nov 23

    Are we sure employers benefit much from the inflation caps? One rebate affects the price paid by hospitals. In uncompetitive hospital markets, seems like much of that won't be passed on. The other seems likely to be offset largely by higher list prices.

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  12. Nov 17

    More importantly, this position comes with a *guaranteed* invitation to Loren and my rooftop happy hours.

    Still accepting applications for a Post-Doc Fellow position in health economics at Brookings starting Summer 2022 To work with Richard Frank, , and me on provider competition/pricing, Rx pricing, Medicare Advantage issues, Medicaid, & more!
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  13. Nov 16

    Full paper:

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  14. Nov 16

    Good day to revisit this paper on the price effects of biosimilar insulins from and co. The insulin market has to be the poster child for list versus net pricing craziness.

    3 replies 8 retweets 28 likes
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  15. Nov 15

    Is there a cite for average out-of-pocket spending for Medicare Part D enrollees? This claims over $3,200 but that seems like it can't be right.

    1 reply 1 retweet 2 likes
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  16. Nov 15

    Whether inflation caps are applied to the commercial market will have some affect on spending, at least in the short run. But drug makers are unlikely to "make up" Medicare revenue losses by hiking commercial prices unless you think they are pricing generously low right now.

    2 replies 1 retweet 15 likes
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  17. Nov 10

    Raises an interesting question: If our key inflation measures are using list prices of drugs, that seems quite bad. (Though, if so, the basket would presumably update to reflect higher launch prices expected for new products)

    There is a provision in the Build Back Better Act directly targeted at inflation: Capping price increases for drugs at inflation in both Medicare and private insurance plans.
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  18. Nov 4

    The great reconstituted milk debate! A major topic of discussion in the Ippolito household. While we drank regular milk (like kings!), my dad often bought the reconstituted kind. I assume out of protest.

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  19. Nov 4

    A great day to revisit this 1978 Richard Ippolito classic "The Social Cost of Government Regulation of Milk" Among other insights, you can learn why my dad was annoyed to see dairy farms anywhere but Wisconsin

    4 replies 1 retweet 12 likes
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  20. Nov 3

    Lots of people who are *sure* of what this drug pricing proposal will do (1) are misunderstanding what the proposal actually says, and (2) casting aside "details" that are of first order importance to its effects

    1 retweet 8 likes
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