Jean Abraham, Ph.D.

Jean Abraham, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Division of Health Policy and Management at the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health. Dr. Abraham’s research interests include access and cost of employer-based health insurance for workers and families, behavioral effects of employee wellness programs, consumer use of quality information in health care decision-making, and hospital market competition. Abraham is also well-versed in various national health reform initiatives. Her research has been published in Health Services Research, Inquiry, Journal of Health Economics, and most recently, the American Journal of Managed Care. 

She graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in economics and political science from the University of Arizona and received her Ph.D. in public policy analysis and management from Carnegie Mellon University. As a faculty member at University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health, Dr. Abraham won the Class of 1981 Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching in both 2003 and 2008. She also worked in Washington D.C. from 2008 to 2009, serving as one of 10 senior economists on the President’s Council of Economic Advisors.

Dr. Abraham is currently the principal investigator on a HCFO funded grant analyzing the impact of the Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) on the individual market for coverage in each state. Using data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, the research seeks to estimate the number of market insurers affected by the MLR, the associated number of enrollees affected, and the volatility of premiums in response. The preliminary findings of this study were published in the March 2011 issue of the American Journal of Managed Care, and are detailed in this months findings brief. 

To learn more about Dr. Abraham’s research, visit: http://www.sph.umn.edu/facstaff/ourfaculty/faculty.asp?x5=abrah042