Benjamin Daniel Sommers is an American physician and health economist. He is a professor of Health Policy and Economics at the

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is the public health school of Harvard University, located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. The school grew out of the Harvard-MIT School for Health Officers, the nation's first ...

and a primary care physician (PCP) at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. He was appointed by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Joe Biden to be a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation ( DASPE) for Health Policy (HP) at the

Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...

(HHS) in 2021. His term expired in January 2023. He is regarded as an national authority on Medicare and

Medicaid Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with healthcare costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and per ...

. He currently lives in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Education

Sommers received his B.A. in English from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

in 2000, his Ph.D. from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

in health policy in 2005, and his M.D. from

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...

in 2007. He completed his residency in internal medicine and

primary care Primary care is the day-to-day healthcare given by a health care provider. Typically this provider acts as the first contact and principal point of continuing care for patients within a healthcare system, and coordinates other specialist care ...

at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in 2010.

Research

Sommers is known for studying the effects of health care laws in the United States, such as the

Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Pres ...

and

Massachusetts health care reform The Massachusetts health care reform, commonly referred to as Romneycare, was a healthcare reform law passed in 2006 and signed into law by Governor Mitt Romney with the aim of providing health insurance to nearly all of the residents of the Co ...

, on outcomes such as access to and utilization of healthcare, mortality rates, and insurance plan cancellations.

References

External links

Interview
in the

Princeton Alumni Weekly The ''Princeton Alumni Weekly'' (''PAW'') is a magazine published for the alumni of Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sommers, Benjamin D. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health faculty Living people Health economists Princeton University alumni American economists Harvard Medical School alumni American primary care physicians Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Members of the National Academy of Medicine