HHS Leadership Shakeup Under Kennedy

RFK Jr. appointed a University of Chicago economist as HHS Chief Economist — here's what the Mulligan hire signals about the administration's healthcare priorities

RFK Jr. just made his biggest healthcare policy move yet. And it's not what most people expected.

HHS Secretary Kennedy appointed Casey B. Mulligan — a University of Chicago economist known for his work on labor market incentives, the ACA's effects on employment, and healthcare cost analysis — as HHS Chief Economist. The appointment signals the administration's intention to apply a rigorous economic lens to healthcare policy decisions, with particular emphasis on how federal programs affect labor markets, individual behavior, and long-term fiscal sustainability.

📊 Mulligan's academic work provides clear signals about the analytical framework he brings to HHS. His research on the ACA documented what he argued were significant work disincentive effects created by the law's subsidy cliff and Medicaid expansion structure. His analysis of healthcare costs has consistently emphasized supply-side constraints and regulatory barriers as drivers of cost growth. His approach to policy analysis pr…