Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

I wonder if trump will be tried as an adult.

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

“Why isn’t this Snickers bar only a nickel?”

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

I’m starting to think Jesus may have made a mistake saving people with no questions asked.

Everybody saw this coming.

Bark louder, little dog.

Ah, the different things are different argument.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

Russia bombs Ukraine’s maternity hospitals; Republicans in the House can’t sort out supporting Ukraine.

My right to basic bodily autonomy is not on the table. that’s the new deal.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

Israel is using food as a weapon of war. Unforgivable.

You are here: Home / Anderson On Health Insurance / Heading further south

Heading further south

by | 106 Comments

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I’ve started my new job today.

I’m an assistant professor at the University of South Carolina’s Department of Health Services, Policy and Management. I will be continuing to work on my ACA research agenda. However I also want to broaden my scope over the next few years to look at all individual choice health insurance markets. This means thinking more and more about Medicare Advantage, Medicaid Managed Care, Federal Employee Health Benefits and Individual Contribution Health Reimbursement Accounts. I am convinced that this is the direction we’re heading as we have a strong belief and valence on choice as an unalloyed good thing.

I’ve been able to work with an incredible group of colleagues at Duke and will still have my toes in the water there, but I’m off to a new journey now.

D
Dave at the USC Department of Health Services Policy and Management

Reader Interactions

106Comments

  4. 4.

    Wilson Heath

    A dear friend got a position there years back and he and his family put down roots.  Hope you enjoy it, too.

  13. 13.

    jonas

    Well done! One journey down (getting the degree) and now the next begins (getting tenure!). You’ve got this.

  14. 14.

    Betty Cracker

    Congrats, Professor! My maternal grandmother was a University of South Carolina alum, and when the ‘Cocks beat the Gators at football, which occasionally happens, she would call me to gloat!

    Columbia can be a fun town. I have many cousins there (if you run into any Parkers or Powells, they’re likely my kin). I hope you and your family will be very happy there.

  15. 15.

    Capri

    All the best in your new position !

    On the sports end of things  The NCAA is run by academics  After you sit through one faculty meeting you’ll understand why it is so messed up.

  20. 20.

    Scout211

    Congratulations on your new job!

    This means thinking more and more about Medicare Advantage, Medicaid Managed Care, Federal Employee Health Benefits and Individual Contribution Health Reimbursement Accounts.

    Ooh, this will be great.  Please feel free to share here when appropriate.

  21. 21.

    Tom Levenson

    Awesome. Congratulations.

    Maybe you can help out with that “South Carolina is too small for a republic, but too large for an insane asylum” stuff!

  22. 22.

    Madeleine

    Congratulations! I hope your department and the U are congenial and supportive, AKA a good match for you.

  24. 24.

    CCL

    Congratulations!  And look forward to reading what you post here about about Medicare Advantage programs vs straight up Medicare.

  25. 25.

    dnfree

    Heartfelt congratulations and thanks for all I’ve learned reading your posts.  It’s a long way from Mayhew and soccer refereeing!

  26. 26.

    BritinChicago

    Congratulations! I’m an academic myself (pretty much retired at this point) so I know how difficult those jobs are to land.

    I always read and profit from your posts; thanks!

  28. 28.

    David Anderson

    @Madeleine: That was the big attraction for me.  When I did my in-person interview, I immediately got the vibe that the department  fundamentally GETS what I do and why I do it.

    A few other places I flew out to there was a disconnect between what motivates me (pragmatic policy work) and what the department as a culture groks.  Those were always fun interviews.

  29. 29.

    banditqueen

    Congratulations again–you just get goal after goal! (I hope I’m not out of line saying that one fine day we’ll have single payer health care in the US.)

  35. 35.

    JaySinWA

    As a Medicare Advantage customer through a retirement plan, I am selfishly looking forward to your broadened horizons. Congratulations. I hope South Carolina agrees with you, in all senses of that term.

  37. 37.

    Josie

    Congratulations on your new home. I’ll be looking for your writing on Medicare Advantage plans.

  39. 39.

    David Anderson

    @BritinChicago: I was fortunate to have numerous fly-outs the last market cycle.  Another ABD friend made the very good point that we were not competing against only our immediate cohort peers but against the 2026 and 2028 versions of our peers as the 2022 post-docs were hitting the market and the 2019/2020 senior assistant professors were on the prowl.

    As part of that process, I have seen who got the other jobs that I a fly-out or an interview. And HOLY SHIT, THOSE FOLKS ARE FUCKING AMAZING AND I WANT TO COLLABORATE WITH THEM (OR I ALREADY AM COLLABORATING WITH THEM)

    This is a tough market.

  47. 47.

    Meyerman

    Congratulations! I look forward to peppering you with questions about Medicare Advantage decisions. :-)

  50. 50.

    WendyBinFL

    Congratulations, Professor Anderson! The University of South Carolina is lucky to have you!

  52. 52.

    MomSense

    I used to travel to Columbia for work.  I enjoyed it and hope you and your family will be happy there!!

  54. 54.

    Leto

    @David Anderson: if you decide to get back into ref’ing, the Irmo/Columbia area has a lot of great kids who could use a good ref. The area hosts a few tournaments a year, and has quite a few clubs.

  55. 55.

    mountainboy

    Hi David,
    I rarely comment on BJ, but scan it each day and always enjoy your perspectives here… Congratulations on your achievements.

    Just this morning, I read the following opinion in the NYT from Jacob S. Hacker, titled, “Kamala Harris Had a Great Health Care Idea in 2019. She Should Embrace It.”
    gift link here, but not sure how/if this really works:
    https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/14/opinion/kamala-harris-health-care.html?unlocked_article_code=1.C04.Ludw.A-5yj9C-tDxu&smid=url-share

    I would appreciate any comments you may share if time allows.
    All the best,

  56. 56.

    Joy in FL

    Congratulations! That’s awesome.

    They are lucky to get you, and I hope you are happy and productive there for a long time to come.

  62. 62.

    Fake Irishman

    @David Anderson:

    Congrats! (Also, you are an academic rockstar already,) 

    But the job market is always brutal. I remember looking at postings with the hope that departments would just be open about wanting to poach a hot established assistant professor instead of taking a chance on a new PhD.

  64. 64.

    CaseyL

    Congratulations! They are lucky to have you!

    I hope you have many opportunities to research, write, and present to a wide audience. Does having your PhD and a faculty position with a post-graduate level program make it easier to get research grants?

    And I hope you enjoy your teaching assignments just as much! How much teaching will you be doing?

  67. 67.

    Phylllis

    Yay, a new Gamecock. Congratulations! Cola has become quite the foody town, particularly along Main Street and the Vista. I’m about twenty minutes from downtown and I know there are some other jackals in SC–need to think about a meetup once you get yourself figured out

    Also, if you get an inside track on women’s basketball tickets, please share.

  68. 68.

    way2blue

    Wait.  You’ve finished your PhD?  How did I miss that?  Best wishes in your new professorship.  If you ever want a data point per FEHB from someone with significant health issues—give me a ping.

  71. 71.

    PW

    Congrats David and best wishes!  I’ve been following you on this site since the days you had a pseudonym (at least I think that was you…?)  In addition to medical advice I recall you writing about soccer?  Great that you’ve landed in a good place.  Good luck with the funding, and hope you get students as great as I’ve been blessed with here at ASU.

  73. 73.

    WaterGirl

    Wow, Dave, that’s so exciting.  Picked up the whole family and moved.  And a new job.  Just finished the PhD.  No stress in there!  What have you been up to besides lollygagging?  :-)

  75. 75.

    lowtechcyclist

    Congrats, David, and hope you enjoy USC and Columbia!  I’m rather fond of the place, since I met and married my wife there, and earned my Ph.D. there.  I’m sure it’s changed quite a bit in the thirty years since.  If there’s a meetup there at some point, I might have to fly down and join y’all, and see for myself!

  76. 76.

    Yutsano

    @way2blue: If you ever want a data point per FEHB from someone with significant health issues—give me a ping.

    Moi aussi! I can give you my insights and how honestly I feel like they herd federal employees into certain plans over others.

    Also: MAZEL TOV YA CRAZY KID!!! :D

  78. 78.

    mr perfect

    Congratulation Professor Anderson.  I normally don’t read your posts since I’m Canadian and we have our way of health care up here but my daughter is married to an American, has her Green Card and last year presented us with our first grandchild, a grand daughter.  Our daughter has her MSc in Molecular Biology and works for a R&D Company that specializes in DNA sequencers.  She and her family will be moving soon from Washington State to Kansas City which will be a long haul for us to visit them from our residence.  I’m going to recommend your posts here at Balloon Juice for her to follow, you have lots of good advice for her and her family.  Oh, and enjoy Columbia, I assume that’s where you’ll be located.

  81. 81.

    Ruckus

    @David Anderson:

    I spent 2 yrs stationed in Charleston while in the USN and while it wasn’t really my cup of tea, it actually was a reasonably nice place. Of course this was over half a century ago so it may have changed slightly…..As has most everywhere else. Still, only got shot at once coming back from town one evening. Good times

    Now onwards. Congrats! Enjoy the town, it likely hasn’t changed in one concept, hopefully still a fair number of very good eateries.

  83. 83.

    Eural Joiner

    Congratulations, new neighbor! I teach right down the road from you at AC Flora high school…I’ll keep an eye out for you around Five Points :)

  87. 87.

    Trollhattan

    @Ruckus: Runner Girl went there with friends over the 4th and complained it smelled vaguely like garbage.

    I don’t have a takeaway, but a different fragrance from her joint in NC one state away.

    We’ll hopefully find out because a meet comes up there in fall. (Ain’t an easy part of the country to travel to.)

    ETA how frickin’ weird is it to look at an ACC schedule and see Stanford and Cal listed?

  88. 88.

    Toesinthesand

    Congratulations!  Welcome to Gamecock Nation. Lexington resident here and yes we can recommend some good fat free, no cholesterol BBQ .

  92. 92.

    burnt

    Delurking to congratulate you. Whenever i have a healthcare policy/insurance question I always search here first. What little understanding I have of our healthcare system is due mostly to you.

  93. 93.

    CatRadio

    Congratulations on a well-deserved reward for sharing your hard-earned knowledge on a critically-important healthcare aspect that touches all our lives!

  94. 94.

    Mel

    Congratulations! The university and your students are very lucky, indeed, to have your expert knowledge and your ability to make complex concepts understandable and interesting.

  95. 95.

    Ken In Hogtown

    Many congrats to you!  Your writing here is so fine, and informative.  They are lucky to have you!

  96. 96.

    Rusty

    Congratulations,  you done a masterful job educating us here and your students will be rewarded with your insight.  Best of luck for a great start on your new adventure.

  101. 101.

    BigG

    Congratulations! Welcome to the Tenure-track rat race. It’s at least a lot better than all the other academic options.

    I’m coming up on my first Fall semester out of the game.

  105. 105.

    Another Scott

    Changing institutions is hard, but it’s often the best way to get ahead quicker.  Keep doing the excellent work, keep up the visibility, and keep your eyes open for brighter paths.

    Kinda like, I dunno, buying health insurance – you have to reevaluate the environment every year and see if there’s a better choice.  Don’t be dominated!!

    ;-)

    They’re lucky to have you.  Make us even more proud. Good luck!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

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