Anwita Mahajan
I am a postdoctoral scholar in Economics at UC San Diego. My research spans health economics, industrial organization and public economics. My research studies how provider behavior in healthcare is shaped by government regulation, and how federal-state health policy design shapes insurance coverage and state fiscal outcomes. I also study how AI can strengthen transparency and reproducibility in observational research.
Research
Expand the thematic categories below to explore my research papers, including publication status, one-line abstracts, and short audio summaries (3 mins or less).
Provider Behavior Under Regulation
Consolidation Under Regulated Prices: Capacity, Quality, and Patient Health in the Dialysis Industry
Analyzes how mergers impact consumers in the U.S. outpatient dialysis industry where Medicare sets prices and firms instead compete on quality and capacity, documenting short-term disruptions versus long-term health improvements.
View PaperPresentations
- San Diego State University CHEPS/Economics Seminar 2026
- NBER Economic Analysis of Regulation Meeting 2026
- Toulouse School of Economics 4th Health Economics Conference 2026
- Becker Friedman Institute Health Economics Initiative Conference 2026
- Electronic Health Economics Colloquium 2026
- Annual International Industrial Organization Conference 2026
- UT/ITAM Tex-Mex Conference 2026
- UC San Diego Labor/Public Seminar 2025
- AEA ASSA Meeting 2025
- BYU Future of Antitrust Conference 2024
Association Between the Growth of Accountable Care Organizations and Physician Work Hours and Self-Employment
Evaluates the association between the growth of accountable care organizations (ACOs) and physician employment patterns, finding significant reductions in work hours and self-employment among physicians.
View PaperMedia Coverage
Federal-State Health Policy and Insurance Coverage
Health Impacts of Federal Pandemic Aid to State and Local Governments
Leverages cross-state variations in federal transfers driven by excess representation to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic fiscal aid on population health and mortality.
View PaperPresentations
- NBER Summer Institute Public Economics 2025
- Annual Health Economics Conference 2025
- Vanderbilt University 2025
- University of Alabama 2025
- UC Riverside 2025
- Brookings Institution 2025
Media Coverage
Minimum Wage Increases Move Workers from Employer Coverage to Medicaid and Improve Welfare
Examines how state minimum wage increases affect Medicaid coverage, employer coverage transitions, and overall welfare among low-income adults.
View PaperPresentations
- AEA ASSA Meeting 2025
- ASHEcon 2024
- Washington Area Labor Economics Symposium 2024
- MIT Sloan Rising Scholars Conference 2023
- CATO Institute Health Policy Workshop 2023
- International Atlantic Economic Conference 2023
- National Institute of Public Finance and Policy 2023
The Long-Run Effects of the Affordable Care Act: A Pre-Committed Research Design Over the COVID-19 Recession and Recovery
Uses pre-committed extensions of event study specifications via AI auditing tools to evaluate the long-run impacts of the ACA on insurance coverage and employment.
View Paper
Understanding Cross-State Variations in Medicaid Enrollment During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic
Examines cross-state differences in Medicaid enrollment changes generated by the continuous coverage requirement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
View Paper
An Unfunded Mandate? Medicaid Continuous Coverage Requirements and State Fiscal Burdens During COVID-19
Quantifies the realized impacts of Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAPs) and continuous coverage requirements on state fiscal burdens nationwide.
View PaperAI to Enhance Transparency in Observational Research
The Utility of AI Tools in Auditing Adherence to Pre-Analysis Plans
Proposes and evaluates the use of large language models (LLMs) to systematically assess adherence to pre-analysis plans in observational research, highlighting efficiency gains and the continued need for human judgment.
The Long-Run Effects of the Affordable Care Act: A Pre-Committed Research Design Over the COVID-19 Recession and Recovery
Uses pre-committed extensions of event study specifications via AI auditing tools to evaluate the long-run impacts of the ACA on insurance coverage and employment.
View PaperCommunication of Econ Research
Presentations and public engagement designed to distill complex economic findings for broader audiences.
Three Minute Thesis
A distilled, three-minute presentation explaining the core questions, methodology, and public policy implications of my research to a non-specialist audience. Read about this global competition here.
Postdoc Pitch
My recorded presentation for the Postdoc Pitch competition, showcasing my ability to translate complex health economics research into an accessible, compelling narrative.
Watch directly on YouTube (21:14)