Early Pilots of Medicare Auctions Bring No Solace to Auction Experts

Peter Cramton and Brett E. Katzman, The Economists’ Voice 8(2), 1-4, July .

Abstract:

Our Economists’ Voice column of October 2010 summarized the severe problems with the current and proposed Medicare auctions. The column was based on a careful reading and analysis of the auction rules. Since that time we and other auction experts have studied the Medicare auctions with theory, experiment, and the limited amount of field data that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has made available. This substantial body of evidence is available at www.cramton.umd.edu/papers/health-care. The evidence strongly supports our preliminary analysis that the auction program is fatally flawed and must be fixed.

 

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