Yalun Su
Workstation 2080-26
1307 E 60th St.
Chicago, IL 60637
I am a fifth-year PhD student at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, a student affiliate in the Healthcare Markets and Regulation Lab at Harvard Medical School, and a predoctoral fellow (AY 2021-24) in the University of Chicago and Northwestern University Health Services Research Program.
My research lies in the intersection of health economics and public finance, focusing on social insurance and agency conflicts.
I received my MSc. in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics from the London School of Economics and my B.A. in Applied Mathematics, Economics, and Statistics from UC Berkeley. Before Harris, I worked as a research professional at the Becker-Friedman Institute Ronzetti Initiative for the Study of Labor Markets.
You can view my CV here.
I am an aviation enthusiast ✈️
Publication
“Disability and Distress: The Effect of Disability Programs on Financial Outcomes,” with Manasi Deshpande and Tal Gross. Manuscript. Online Appendix.
[April 2021, American Economic Journal: Applied Economics ]
Winner of the 2024 AEJ Best Paper Award.
Abstract: We provide the first evidence on the relationship between disability programs and markers of financial distress: bankruptcy, foreclosure, eviction, and home sale. Rates of these adverse financial events peak around the time of disability application. Using variation induced by an age-based eligibility rule, we find that disability allowance reduces the likelihood of bankruptcy (0.77 percentage point or 31 percent), foreclosure (1.8 percentage point or 34 percent), and home sale (1.8 percentage point or 15 percent). We present evidence that these changes reflect true reductions in financial distress. Considering these extreme events increases the optimal disability benefit amount and suggests a shorter optimal waiting time.
Working Paper
"Privatizing Social Insurance: Medicare Advantage vs. Traditional Medicare," with Zarek Brot-Goldberg, Boris Vabson, Scott Bilder, Barton Jones, Iman Mohammadi, Zulkarnain Pulungan, and Christie Teigland.
[April 2024, available upon request]
Harvard & Inovalon Medicare Research Collaboration
White Paper #1: Who Enrolls in Medicare Advantage vs. Medicare Fee-for-Service
White Paper #2: Utilization and Efficiency Under Medicare Advantage vs. Medicare Fee-for-Service
White Paper #3: Quality Outcomes Under Medicare Advantage vs. Medicare Fee-for-Service
White Paper #4: The Importance of Plan Design in Medicare Advantage
Research in Progress
"Does Information Reporting Reduce Healthcare Agency Problems? Evidence from ICD-10 Transition."
"Effects of Medical Bills on Healthcare Utilization: Evidence from Surprise Billing," with Afia Khan and Yashna Nandan.
We ask how an increase in medical bill size impacts future healthcare utilization and outcomes.