Irene Papanicolas
Why your healthcare costs so much
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About Irene Papanicolas
Irene Papanicolas assesses the performance of health care systems across the globe. From analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of different health systems to evaluating their efficiency and responsiveness, Irene’s research is dedicated to helping advance our understanding of the intricacies of healthcare economics. Currently, Irene is an associate professor of health economics in the Department of Health Policy at the London School of Economics and a visiting scientist in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals, books, and policy documents produced by the European Observatory of Health Systems and Policies, the WHO, and the European Commission. Irene has also worked closely with national governments and international organizations to inform policy makers on issues related to health system performance assessment.
Find out moreAbout This Talk
There are various opinions surrounding healthcare spending in the US. According to Health Economist Irene Papanicolas, the theories behind high spending - over-utilization, lack of social spending, number of primary care physicians - are also accompanied by real data. When Irene and her team dove into the data and compared trends to other high income countries, they uncovered hidden factors that influence spending.
Watch Irene Papanicolas’ TEDMED 2018 Talk to understand why healthcare spending is so much higher in the US than other comparable countries. By tackling topics like non-transparent pricing and administrative complexity, Irene leads the way to a new sustainable health system in the US.