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Blog Post
10 Noteworthy Research Articles from LDI in 2025
From AI-Powered Public Health Messaging to Stark Divides in Child Wellness and Medicaid Access, LDI Experts Highlight Urgent Problems and Compelling Solutions
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In 2025, LDI Fellows contributed impactful and timely evidence in the fields of artificial intelligence, children’s health, Medicaid cuts, nurse staffing, SNAP policy, Medicare payments, and Black life expectancy.
Below are 10 studies that represent the range of scholarship by LDI Fellows.
For-Profit Hospitals Invest Less in Nursing Services
LDI Senior Fellows K. Jane Muir, Matthew McHugh, and Karen Lasater examined hospital ownership and nursing services investments across Illinois, finding that for-profit hospitals consistently invested less in nurse staffing than not-for-profit hospitals and had higher patient-to-nurse ratios and poorer ratings on patient safety and infection prevention measures.
Medicaid Cuts Will Imperil Many Sick Recipients
Research by LDI Senior Fellows Eric T. Roberts and Aaron Schwartz and LDI Executive Director Rachel M. Werner reveals a critical finding for individuals on both Medicare and Medicaid. These dual eligibles who lost access to Medicaid could no longer get low-cost drugs, causing a jump in mortality demonstrating potential impacts of upcoming Medicaid cuts.
Less Postacute Care for Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries Does Not Mean Worse Health
LDI Senior Fellow Bob Burke and Executive Director Rachel M. Werner, and colleagues found that Medicare Advantage beneficiaries used less postacute care – fewer days in skilled nursing facilities – than those in traditional Medicare, without experiencing worse outcomes.
AI Breakthrough May Transform Public Health Campaigns
LDI Senior Fellow Dolores Albarracín and colleagues built a novel artificial intelligence system that creates effective public health social media campaigns in real time. These messages were six times as likely to be posted by public health agencies, highlighting the system’s promise for improving public health messaging.
U.S. Children Are Suffering: A Generation Grows Up Sicker, Sadder, and Dying Sooner
LDI Senior Fellow Christopher Forrest and his team uncovered widespread declines in U.S. children’s health from 2007 to 2023, from rising chronic illness and emotional distress to earlier puberty and higher mortality. With such troubling findings, Forrest urged a transformation of children’s developmental ecosystems.
Location Matters for Black Life Expectancy
LDI Senior Fellow Irma Elo found that Black life expectancy has diverged sharply by place since 1990: Blacks in major metropolitan areas saw substantial gains in longevity, while those in smaller cities, rural areas, and much of the Midwest and deep South fell behind or even reversed course, especially among young adults.
Hospice Providers Game Medicare Payment Cap
LDI Senior Fellow and Director of Research Norma Coe found that some hospice providers churn patients to circumvent their average annual Medicare revenue cap, but with modest impacts on costs.
Medicaid’s Low Pay for Doctors Makes Finding Care Hard
Research by LDI Senior Fellow Diane Alexander revealed that raising Medicaid primary care payments for doctors significantly improved health care access for patients and even reduced school absenteeism in children.
Clinical Trial Shows Promise of Coordinating Child Asthma Care
LDI Senior Fellows Tyra Bryant-Stephens and Chén Kenyon conducted a first-of-its-kind randomized control trial to examine whether community health workers could help bridge the asthma treatment gap between doctors’ offices, homes, and schools, where management often fails.
Bundled Payments Saved Money for Outpatient Surgeries
Research by LDI Associate Fellow Aidan Crowley and Senior Fellows Amol Navathe and Austin Kilaru revealed surprising findings on bundled payments, including that they saved money in outpatient joint replacement and spine surgeries by reducing hospital readmissions.
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Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services: A Notable Success in Trump 2.0
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Methadone Use Rises—But Too Few People Get Opioid Medication
Chart of the Day: Methadone Use for Opioid Use Disorder Tripled From 2010–2020, Yet Only One in Four People With Addiction Receive Medication
Can AI Hear When Patients Are Ready for Palliative Care?
Researchers Use AI to Analyze Patient Phone Calls for Vocal Cues Predicting Palliative Care Acceptance
Six Insights on Health Care Affordability From Penn LDI
LDI Fellows’ Research Quantifies the Effects of High Health Care Costs for Consumers and Shines Light on Several Drivers of High U.S. Health Care Costs