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Timothy McBride

Bernard Becker Professor

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Timothy D. McBride is the Bernard Becker Professor in the School of Public Health at Washington University. He is an influential health policy analyst and leading health economist shaping the national agenda in health insurance, health reform, rural health care, Medicare and Medicaid policy, health economics and access to health care.

McBride studies the effects of health reform at the state and national levels, the uninsured, diabetes policy, Medicare Advantage, and long-term entitlement reform.

He is co-director of Center for Advancing Health Services, Policy & Economics Research at Washington University.

McBride has been active in testifying before Congress and consulting with policy constituents on health reform, health insurance issues and rural health policy. For over 30 years, he has been a member of the Rural Policy Research Institute Health Panel that provides expert advice on rural health issues to the U.S. Congress and other policymakers.

McBride serves as a member of several national committees and boards, including the Midwest Comparative Effectiveness Public Advisory Council for the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review and the St. Louis City Board of Health. He served as chair of Missouri’s MOHealthNET Oversight Committee, which advises the state’s Medicaid program, for nine years.

McBride leads the Rural Health Policy Lab.

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In the media

The COVID-19 pandemic and the economic and policy challenges facing Missouri

As the triple challenges that stem from the COVID-19 crisis unfold — and creates challenges for our safety net programs, nonprofit organizations, and government budgets — we also must remember that those who will suffer the most will be those who can least afford to sustain the burden of the challenge, writes Timothy McBride.

Stories

McBride honored for rural health advocacy
Awards & Notables

McBride honored for rural health advocacy

Tim McBride, the Bernard Becker Professor at the Brown School, has received the 2024 Rural Excellence in Advocacy Award from the Missouri Rural Health Association. The honor recognizes outstanding contributions to health care in rural Missouri.
Medicaid expansion in Missouri led to reduction in out-of-pocket costs
Public Health

Medicaid expansion in Missouri led to reduction in out-of-pocket costs

After Medicaid expansion began in Missouri in July 2021, the proportion of emergency department visits financed by Medicaid rose by nearly 15 percentage points, while the proportion of such visits financed by the uninsured dropped by 14 percentage points, finds a new analysis from the university’s Center for Advancing Health Services, Policy and Economics Research.
The historic 2020 election, and what’s next

The historic 2020 election, and what’s next

After the contentious 2020 presidential election, Washington University in St. Louis faculty experts offer their predictions and perspectives on the legal battle ensuing, the election process, the transition of power and the future for both President-elect Joe Biden’s administration and President Donald Trump’s.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the economic and policy challenges facing Missouri

The COVID-19 pandemic and the economic and policy challenges facing Missouri

As the triple challenges that stem from the COVID-19 crisis unfold — and creates challenges for our safety net programs, nonprofit organizations, and government budgets — we also must remember that those who will suffer the most will be those who can least afford to sustain the burden of the challenge.
WashU Experts: Coronavirus challenges facing rural America
Humanities & Society

WashU Experts: Coronavirus challenges facing rural America

As the coronavirus spreads across the United States, larger cities, like New York and Seattle, are dealing with increasing numbers of infections and deaths daily. However, less populated rural areas are not immune from the disease, say two public health experts at Washington University in St. Louis, and controlling it in rural America presents a unique set of challenges.
Coronavirus crisis highlights need for health insurance in Missouri and other states
Humanities & Society

Coronavirus crisis highlights need for health insurance in Missouri and other states

Tim McBride, the Bernard Becker Professor at Washington University in St. Louis’ Brown School and a leading health economist, said that the coronavirus outbreak will exacerbate problems in Missouri’s public health systems, which were already underfunded relative to most of the rest of the country, as well as issues facing low-income residents with challenges accessing medical care.
Why have so many Missouri children lost Medicaid coverage?

Why have so many Missouri children lost Medicaid coverage?

Evidence suggests that covering children is not that expensive, and the long-term effectiveness of paying for prevention early in a child’s life can lower costs later in life, raising their well-being and income potential.
WashU Expert: What happens if ACA is eliminated?
Medicine & Health

WashU Expert: What happens if ACA is eliminated?

The Trump administration said this week that the whole Affordable Care Act should be struck down in the courts. Doing so would have profound implications on health care and the economy, says an expert on health economics at Washington University in St. Louis.
Demise of insurance program is devastating to millions of children

Demise of insurance program is devastating to millions of children

A month has passed since Congress allowed the funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program to expire. While states are using available funds to keep the program in place until Congress acts, eventually if they do not act this could lead to the demise of one of the most successful government programs ever implemented.
Humanities & Society

WashU Expert: Census Bureau report shows effectiveness of Affordable Care Act

The number of uninsured people in America dropped by 8.8 million in 2014, according to a report released Sept. 16 from the U.S. Census Bureau. This number is significant because it is the first Census Bureau report since the widespread implementation of the Affordable Care Act, said a health economist at Washington University in St. Louis. “This is a big deal,” said Timothy McBride, PhD, professor at the Brown School and noted health policy analyst.
Humanities & Society

WashU Expert: Supreme Court likely to uphold Obamacare tax credits, avoid chaos​

As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to announce its decision in a lawsuit that threatens federal health insurance subsidies for more than 6 million Americans, health care economist Timothy D. McBride, PhD, professor in the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, is confident the high court will side with the Obama administration. If the court decides otherwise, low-income residents in many states will have little access to affordable healthcare, he warns.
Humanities & Society

Medicare Advantage enrollment increasing in rural areas

More rural Americans are signing up for Medicare Advantage despite reductions in payments, according to new research from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. Extra benefits may be among the likely reasons, says study co-author Timothy McBride, PhD, professor at the Brown School.
Humanities & Society

Educating public health’s problem-solvers​​

Widespread social problems are nothing new, yet solutions today require a different, more innovative approach. A new book, Transdisciplinary Public Health: Research, Education, and Practice (edited by Debra Haire-Joshu, PhD, the Joyce Wood Professor at the Brown School and associate dean for research, and Timothy McBride, PhD, professor) aims to fill that void by laying out a multidisciplinary approach to problem-solving.​
Humanities & Society

Expanding Medicaid would most impact rural Missourians

As a new legislative session begins this week in the state of Missouri, a new study out of the Missouri Budget Project, co-authored by the Brown’s School Timothy McBride, PhD, is released. It examines the effects of potential boost in aid throughout the state but finds rural Missourians would benefit the most in 2014 if lawmakers approve more than $1 billion in new federal funding for Medicaid.
Humanities & Society

Lack of competition could hike costs in health insurance exchanges

A new study suggests that health insurance exchanges, a key provision of the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010, may need to be monitored by policymakers to make sure there is sufficient competition between private insurance plans. In the study, published in Health Affairs, Timothy McBride, PhD, professor and associate dean for public health at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, examined the insurance premiums, availability of plans and enrollment levels under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). “From its inception, the health reform legislation used the structure of the FEHBP to guide the design of these exchanges,” McBride says.
Humanities & Society

Supreme Court’s health-care decision to shape presidential campaign, says WUSTL health economist

The Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will have a major impact on the presidential campaign, says Timothy D. McBride, PhD, health economist and associate dean for public health at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. “The health reform legislation was the signature piece of social legislation passed by President (Barack) Obama’s administration in his first term,” he says. How the court’s decision will influence the election could be quite complex, says McBride. The court is hearing arguments in the case March 26-28
Humanities & Society

New insured numbers show tug-of-war between economy and health care reform

The estimates of the population without health insurance in the U.S. remained unchanged in 2010, as compared to 2009, reflecting the counteracting effects of not only the sluggish economic recovery but also the preliminary benefits of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), says Timothy McBride, PhD, leading health economist and associate dean of public health at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.
Humanities & Society

We’re not broke, we’re starving, says Brown School economist

A government shutdown is looming and many politicians who are claiming “we’re broke” are proposing short-term or long-term federal budget plans with steep budget cuts as the only option to reduce the deficit. “But it looks like budget deficits are being driven in part by a deliberate strategy to sustain them, so policymakers are forced to cut spending,” says Timothy McBride, PhD, economist and associate dean for public health at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. “The evidence certainly supports the theory that the Republicans are using a strategy of ‘starving the beast,’” he says.
Humanities & Society

Recent health-care law ruling does not settle individual mandate issue, says public health expert

The ruling by Judge Henry E. Hudson of the Federal District Court in Richmond, Va., finding the individual mandate provision of the new health-care law unconstitutional is an important ruling, but it does not settle the question, says Timothy D. McBride, PhD, health economist and associate dean for public health at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. McBride says that the individual mandate, while just a small piece of the health reform structure, is very important to making all of the parts of health reform work. “It is more or less like pulling on the thread of a garment, and having the whole garment come apart if this disappears,” he says.
Humanities & Society

Election results not driven by health reform

Despite its divisiveness, health reform legislation did not play a major role in the midterm elections. “We are still a 50-50 country more or less on health reform,” says Timothy D. McBride, PhD, professor and associate dean for public health at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. “About half the country really dislikes the reform law, and those voters were likely to vote Republican in this election. But in all likelihood they would have done so anyway. Similarly, the other half that still favor the legislation would likely have voted for the Democrats anyway.” 
Business & Entrepreneurship

Olin and Brown schools offer new dual degree

The health care industry needs managers with a strong foundation in business and public policy. A new dual degree from WUSTL is designed to prepare students to meet the challenges of complex companies across the health care spectrum. Details of the new MBA/MPH graduate program offered by the Brown School and Olin Business School are announced today.
Humanities & Society

Prop C makes Missouri the ‘Show-Them’ state

Missouri is getting national attention with the Aug. 3 Proposition C referendum on  federal health care reform. But Timothy D. McBride, PhD, associate dean for public health at the Brown School, says no matter the outcome, the vote will have little impact on the new health care law.
Humanities & Society

Vote is the endgame for the health care reform debate, says health policy expert

“If the House passes the latest version of legislation this weekend and sends it to the Senate, that will be the key legislative event in the long health care debate, because both chambers have already passed the legislation,” says Timothy McBride, Ph.D., health economist and associate dean of public health at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.  “I believe the House will pass the legislation, but the vote will be very close, probably within one vote or two. The House probably has not had a vote this close since the vote on Medicare prescription drugs.”
Humanities & Society

Expert discusses the next steps for health care reform in the U.S.

With health care legislation now up for debate in both the House and the Senate, comprehensive health care reform is closer than ever, says Timothy McBride, Ph.D., health economist and associate dean of public health at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. McBride says that there is still much work to be done with health care reform and contentious issues remain. Among those are the public option, how the legislation will be financed, the generosity of the coverage, Medicare Advantage reforms and whether there will be mandates for employers to offer coverage. (Video available)
Business & Entrepreneurship

Discrediting official uninsured estimates only minimizes the real health care problem, says health economist

McBrideThe health reform debate to date has been characterized by a lot of confusion and misinformation. “The conclusion that most of the uninsured either are voluntarily uninsured or do not need assistance is erroneous,” says Timothy McBride, Ph.D., leading health economist and associate dean of public health at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. The Census Bureau will announce the official health insurance estimates on Thursday, Sept. 10. According to McBride, because of the economic downturn, the number of uninsured may top 50 million.
Humanities & Society

Health economist and leading policy expert believes health reform legislation will pass in ’09

The United States has attempted to pass major health reform legislation eight times in the last century, starting in the mid 1910s up through 1993-94 with the failed Clinton health reform effort. “Only once in that period was any legislation passed — in 1964-65 when Medicare and Medicaid were passed,” says Timothy McBride, Ph.D., associate dean of public health at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. “Yet, for many reasons, I feel that it is much more likely that legislation will pass this year.” At this point, McBride believes that President Obama has the political support necessary to make health reform happen, and he has made it his top domestic priority. McBride has been active in testifying before Congress and consulting with important policy constituencies on Medicare, insurance and health policy issues. He is a member of the Rural Policy Research Institute Health Panel that provides expert advice on rural health issues to the U.S. Congress and other policymakers.
Business & Entrepreneurship

Public health experts give tips and discuss benefits of “Meetings on the Move”

“‘Meetings on the Move’ is an inexpensive, easy way to improve health and productivity,” says Tim McBride, Ph.D., associate dean for public health at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. Meetings on the Move (MOTM) get employees on their feet and out of the office environment. “Forty percent of the population are absolute couch potatoes,” says Debra Haire-Joshu, Ph.D, and professor of social work at Washington University. “That’s almost a learned behavior. You learn to sit at school; you learn to sit at work. What ‘Meetings on the Move’ really does is get us active like we used to be when we were kids. We can learn then to bring activity back into our daily life, just like we learned to take it out.” Haire-Joshu also is the director of the Obesity Prevention and Policy Research Center at the Brown School. Video available.
Humanities & Society

New master of public health degree accepting applications

People committed to improving the health of vulnerable communities and populations have a new degree option at Washington University in St. Louis — a Master of Public Health (MPH). The MPH Program at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work is accepting applications for its first class. The Brown School regularly hosts information sessions about its academic programs. The school plans a special half-day “Focus on MPH” event on February 13 from 8:30 – 1:30 p.m. Individuals who have applied or plan to apply for the fall 2009 semester should attend. The event will be held in Brown Hall Lounge.
Humanities & Society

Health insurance after job loss

McBrideLosing a job usually comes with the double whammy of losing any employer-sponsored health insurance. Timothy McBride, Ph.D., leading health economist and associate dean for public health at WUSTL’s George Warren Brown School of Social Work, is available to discuss current coverage options and the future of health insurance for low-income people. “Health reform, if it is considered in Congress, may provide relief for low-income persons,” he says. “In the short run, there are unfortunately few options for the unemployed unless they are relatively healthy and can buy cheap policies, or have significant savings. It is one of the sad aspects of our broken health-care system.”
Humanities & Society

Health care reform will not be highest priority

Barack Obama will need to act swiftly in his first 100 days as president to resolve the domestic crises facing the nation, but concerns about the economy mean that health care reform will not be the highest priority during that time, says leading public health experts at Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL). Debra Haire-Joshu, Ph.D., professor of social work and medicine at WUSTL, and Timothy McBride, Ph.D., associate dean for public health at WUSTL’s George Warren Brown School of Social Work, are available to discuss health care legislation under Obama. Haire-Joshu served in Obama’s congressional office and McBride is part of the nationally representative Rural Policy Research Institute’s Health Panel.
Humanities & Society

U.S. health care system headed for perfect storm

McBride”We are headed into a time when a confluence of changes are going to lead to a perfect storm, making us finally realize that our health care system needs a major overhaul,” says Timothy D. McBride, Ph.D., leading health economist and professor of social work. McBride is available to discuss candidates’ health care plans and universal health care.
Humanities & Society

Despite all the attention paid to Social Security, it’s a minor problem compared to Medicare, says leading health economist

McBride”The problems with Social Security can be solved easily compared to those of Medicare,” says Timothy McBride, leading health economist and associate dean for public health. “Social Security can be fixed right now, although most people don’t want to solve it with tax hikes. We cannot solve Medicare as easily. Medicare is in a serious crisis relative to Social Security,” he says. McBride is available to discuss Social Security and Medicare.
Humanities & Society

Despite all the attention paid to Social Security, it’s a minor problem compared to Medicare, says leading health economist

“The problems with Social Security can be solved easily compared to those of Medicare,” says Timothy McBride, leading health economist and associate dean for public health at Washington University in St. Louis. “Social Security can be fixed right now, although most people don’t want to solve it with tax hikes. If passed today, a one-percentage point tax increase on both employers and employees could solve the Social Security problem for 75 years. If we don’t want to raise taxes, another option is to cut benefits by a similar amount and we’re done.” McBride says that the tax increase needed to fix Medicare would be six or seven percentage points in the long run. “We cannot solve Medicare as easily. Medicare is in a serious crisis relative to Social Security,” he says. McBride believes that as soon as the next President is elected “we will hear that we need to solve Medicare and Medicaid.”
Humanities & Society

U.S. health care system headed for perfect storm

“We are headed into a time when a confluence of changes are going to lead to a perfect storm, making us finally realize that our health care system needs a major overhaul,” says Timothy D. McBride, Ph.D., leading health economist and professor of social work at Washington University in St. Louis. “As the elderly population doubles between now and about 2030, projections are that we will see at least a doubling of the costs of the federal and state health and retirement programs,” he says. “That will likely be when the perfect storm hits. But if we miss it then, we will likely have missed all the storm clouds for the foreseeable future.”