US

Health-Care Licensing

Loosening current licensing restrictions on the range of services that nurses, physician assistants, dental hygienists and pharmacists are permitted to perform would help patients on balance, because the additional safety risks would be small compared to the decreased costs in waiting time and fees.

Responses weighted by each expert's confidence

Participant University Vote Confidence Bio/Vote History
Acemoglu
Daron Acemoglu
MIT
Agree
2
Bio/Vote History
Alesina
Alberto Alesina
Harvard Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Altonji
Joseph Altonji
Yale
Agree
2
Bio/Vote History
Auerbach
Alan Auerbach
Berkeley
Uncertain
3
Bio/Vote History
Autor
David Autor
MIT
Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
Lots of evidence that occupational licensing is excessive. But I cannot speak specifically about the medical profession.
-see background information here
Baicker
Katherine Baicker
University of Chicago
Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
Bertrand
Marianne Bertrand
Chicago
Uncertain
3
Bio/Vote History
Chetty
Raj Chetty
Harvard
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Chevalier
Judith Chevalier
Yale
Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
There is some evidence on these issues; there is less study of this than one might hope.
Currie
Janet Currie
Princeton
Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
Cutler
David Cutler
Harvard
Strongly Agree
10
Bio/Vote History
The IOM has summarized all the evidence, and it shows this.
Deaton
Angus Deaton
Princeton
Strongly Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
Duffie
Darrell Duffie
Stanford
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
Edlin
Aaron Edlin
Berkeley
Strongly Agree
9
Bio/Vote History
Tort law is a plenty good safeguard for our safety.
Eichengreen
Barry Eichengreen
Berkeley
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
Fair
Ray Fair
Yale
Agree
5
Bio/Vote History
Goldberg
Pinelopi Goldberg
Yale
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
If licensing restrictions reflect training requirements, it is not clear that lowering training standards would be beneficial.
Goldin
Claudia Goldin
Harvard
Strongly Agree
9
Bio/Vote History
Goolsbee
Austan Goolsbee
Chicago
Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
Greenstone
Michael Greenstone
University of Chicago
Uncertain
3
Bio/Vote History
there seems little doubt that licensing restrictions raise costs but there is only a little evidence on the safety risks.
Hall
Robert Hall
Stanford Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Holmström
Bengt Holmström
MIT
Uncertain
3
Bio/Vote History
Economic logic suggests too tight licensing because of lobbying by affected professionals.
Hoxby
Caroline Hoxby
Stanford
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
This is a question to which only an economist in the field would know the best answer. Knowing what one knows is the essence of expertise.
Judd
Kenneth Judd
Stanford Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Kashyap
Anil Kashyap
Chicago Booth
Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
Everywhere else in the world people without the title "doctor" seem to be able to do more, seems like we should move in this way too.
Klenow
Pete Klenow
Stanford
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
Lazear
Edward Lazear
Stanford Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Levin
Jonathan Levin
Stanford Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Maskin
Eric Maskin
Harvard
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Nordhaus
William Nordhaus
Yale
Disagree
7
Bio/Vote History
Finding the right balance is difficult, but a wholesale ban on licensing would on net confuse patients are probably be a net loss.
Obstfeld
Maurice Obstfeld
Berkeley
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
Rouse
Cecilia Rouse
Princeton Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Saez
Emmanuel Saez
Berkeley
Uncertain
2
Bio/Vote History
Scheinkman
José Scheinkman
Columbia University
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Schmalensee
Richard Schmalensee
MIT
Strongly Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
This is surely true for a small relaxation; for a very large relaxation risks would surely outweigh benefits.
Shin
Hyun Song Shin
Princeton
Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
Stock
James Stock
Harvard Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Stokey
Nancy Stokey
University of Chicago
Agree
5
Bio/Vote History
There are surely some restrictions that could be loosened. Agreeing on which ones they are might be harder.
Thaler
Richard Thaler
Chicago Booth
Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
Pharmacists must be the most underemployed professionals. Lots of schooling to count pills. In France they actually do stuff.
Udry
Christopher Udry
Northwestern
Strongly Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
A sensible approach in many cases is certification, which provides information, increases choice, and reduces costs.
-see background information here
Zingales
Luigi Zingales
Chicago Booth
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History