Eric T Roberts, PhD

My research examines the provision and financing of health care in low-income populations.  One stream of my work focuses on the implementation of alternative payment models (including value-based purchasing and global budgets), their impacts on care quality and utilization, and their financial implications for providers serving socially disadvantaged patients.  A second stream of my research examines Medicaid policy, health care disparities, and the contribution of social risk factors—including housing instability—to health care costs in low-income populations.  Much of my current research lies at the intersection of Medicaid policy and the financing and provision of care for high-cost and high-need patients.  I am the recipient of a career development award from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to study the effects of Medicaid eligibility and payment policies on the health of low-income, aging, and disabled patients, an R01 from the National Institute of Aging to study health care disparities within the Medicare Advantage program, and a VA Merit Award to study the effects of VA community care programs on quality, safety, and equity of care among US Veterans. This research uses econometric methods for causal inference and simulation techniques to inform policymakers about the public health and financial impacts of Medicaid policies for this high-need patient population.  My work has appeared in Health Affairs, JAMA, JAMA Internal Medicine, Annals of Internal Medicine, and Health Services Research, and has received awards from AcademyHealth and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. I have been Principal Investigator on grants funded by AHRQ, the National Institute on Aging, Veterans Health Administration, Commonwealth Fund, and Arnold Ventures.

2015 | Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD | PhD in Health Economics & Policy

2017 | Harvard Medical School, Boston MA | Postdoctoral fellowship in Health Economics & Policy

• HPM 3505: Advanced Empirical Microeconomics Methods (Econometrics)
• HPM 3125: Advanced Health Economics
• HPM 3506: Dissertation Grantwriting Capstone

• 2019 AcademyHealth Best Abstract for Medicare Research, "Association of State Policies with Medicaid Disenrollment among Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries"
• 2018 AcademyHealth Article of the Year, "The Value-Based Payment Modifier: Program Outcomes and Implications for Disparities."
• Top 10 notable Health Affairs articles of 2017, "Market Share Matters: Evidence Of Insurer And Provider Bargaining Over Prices."
• HCUP 2013 Outstanding Article of the Year (honorable mention), "The Quality of Care Delivered to Patients within the Same Hospital Varies by Insurance Type."

• Roberts ET, Glynn A, Cornelio N, Donohue JM, Gellad WF, McWilliams JM, and Sabik LM (2021). “Medicaid Coverage ‘Cliff’ Increases Expenses And Decreases Care For Near-Poor Medicare Beneficiaries.” Health Affairs 40(4): 552-561.
• Roberts ET and Desai SM (2021). “Does Medicaid coverage of Medicare cost sharing affect physician care for dual-eligible Medicare beneficiaries?.” Health Services Research, online ahead of print: doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13650.
• Roberts ET, Mellor J, McInerny M, and Sabik LM (2019). "State Variation in the Characteristics of Medicare-Medicaid Dual Enrollees: Implications for Risk Adjustment.'' Health Services Research e-pub ahead of print (https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.13205).
• Roberts ET, Hatfield L, McWilliams JM, Chermew ME, Done, N, Gerovich S, and Mehrotra A (2018).  “Changes in Hospital Utilization Three Years Into Maryland's Global Budget Program for Rural Hospitals.'' Health Affairs 37(4): 644-653.
• Roberts ET, McWilliams JM, Hatfield L, Chermew ME, Gerovich S, and Mehrotra A (2018). "Changes in Health Care Use Associated with the Introduction of Hospital Global Budgets in Maryland." JAMA Internal Medicine 178(2):260-268.
• Roberts ET, Zaslavsky AM, and McWilliams JM (2017).  "The Value-Based Payment Modifier: Program Outcomes and Implications for Disparities." Annals of Internal Medicine 168(4):255-265.