Leonard D. Schaeffer Professor of Health Care Policy Michael E. Chernew, PhD, has been appointed chair of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). Professor of health care policy David C. Grabowski, PhD, has been reappointed as a member of MedPAC.

Chernew served as a member of MedPAC from 2008 to 2014, acting as Vice Chair for the final two years of his service. Chernew’s research examines several areas related to improving the health care system including studies of novel benefit designs, Medicare Advantage and alternative payment models. He is a member of the National Bureau of Economic Research, the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Social Insurance. Chernew is the director of the Healthcare Markets and Regulation Lab at Harvard Medical School. He serves on the Congressional Budget Office’s Panel of Health Advisors and is Vice Chair of the Massachusetts Health Connector Board of Directors. He is the co-editor of The American Journal of Managed Care.  Chernew earned his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania and his PhD in economics from Stanford University. Chernew was interviewed by ModernHealthcare about this new role. 

Grabowski was first appointed a member of MedPAC in 2017. Grabowski’s research concentrates on the economics of aging with a particular focus on long-term care and post-acute care. He has conducted a series of studies related to the payment, organization and delivery of these services for older adults. His work also examines the integration and coordination of care for dually-eligible beneficiaries. He has served on several Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services technical expert panels related to home health care payment and is an associate editor of the journal Forum for Health Economics and Policy. Grabowski received his undergraduate degree in psychology from Duke University and his PhD in public policy from the Irving B. Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago.  

MedPAC is an independent congressional agency that was established in 1997 to analyze access to care, cost and quality of care, and other key issues affecting Medicare. MedPAC advises Congress on payments to providers in Medicare’s traditional fee-for-service programs and to health plans participating in the Medicare Advantage program. MedPAC’s 17 members bring diverse expertise in the financing and delivery of health care services and each serve three-year terms (subject to renewal) appointed by the Comptroller General.