Richard Scheffler

Richard Michael Scheffler (born July 11, 1943) is an American health economist whose career has focused on applying health economics to public policy both nationally and globally. He is a Distinguished Professor of Health Economics and Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley in the Graduate School of Public Health and the Goldman School of Public Policy. He is the Founding Director of the campus-affiliated, research-driven Nicholas C. Petris Center on Health Care Markets and Consumer Welfare.Richard M. Scheffler PhD - UC Berkeley Public Health Faculty. (n.d.). UC Berkeley Public Health. Retrieved June 21, 2023, from https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/people/richard-scheffler/
==Early Life and Education==
Scheffler was born on July 11, 1943 and grew up in Brooklyn, New YorkScheffler, Richard M. – Physician Assistant History Society®. (n.d.). Physician Assistant History Society. Retrieved June 21, 2023, from https://pahx.org/assistants/scheffler-richard-m/, with three younger sisters. He attended P.S. 202 Ernest S. Jenkyns from kindergarten to 8th grade. With an early interest in mathematics and engineering, he attended Brooklyn Technical High School, a magnet school. He earned a BS in Economics from Hofstra University in 1965, an MA in Economics from Brooklyn College in 1967, and a PhD in Economics with Honors from New York University in 1971.Richard M. Scheffler PhD - UC Berkeley Public Health Faculty. (n.d.). UC Berkeley Public Health. Retrieved June 21, 2023, from https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/people/richard-scheffler/
==Academic Career==
After completing his PhD, Scheffler took his first academic position in the economics department at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He was also a Visiting Professor at Duke University in the Department of Economics and Institute of Policy Sciences and Public Affairs. He left after four years to serve as a Scholar in Residence for the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., where he focused on applying health economics to federal health policy issues. He then taught in the economics department at George Washington University.
In 1981, Scheffler accepted a one-year visiting job at the University of California, Berkeley that transformed into a lifelong career. He was hired as an Associate Professor in the Department of Social and Administrative Health Services within the School of Public Health with tenure. He went on to become a Distinguished Professor of Health Economics and Public Policy, with joint tenured appointments in the School of Public Health and Goldman School of Public Policy.
He founded the Joint Masters of Public Health and Masters of Public Policy Program at UC Berkeley in 1986. Two years later, he founded the PhD program in Health Services and Policy Analysis. This program has been ranked number two in the nation by the National Research Council.A Data-Based Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States (with CD) | The National Academies Press. (2011). https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12994/a-data-based-assessment-of-research-doctorate-programs-in-the-united-states-with-cd Scheffler has served twice as Program Chair and was elected as Faculty Chair for the School of Public Health in 2012 to represent faculty in academic matters. From 1993-2003, he served as Program Director of the Scholars in Health Policy Research PhD program at UC Berkeley and UCSF.University of California at Berkeley/San Francisco Program | Scholars in Health Policy Research. (n.d.). Retrieved June 28, 2023, from http://www.healthpolicyscholars.org/university-california-berkeleysan-francisco-program.html
While his professional home remained at Berkeley, Scheffler's work took him abroad. He was a Visiting Scholar at the World Bank in 2003.Richard M. Scheffler. (n.d.). The Commonwealth Fund. Retrieved June 29, 2023, from https://www.commonwealthfund.org/person/richard-m-scheffler He was also a Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics, the University of Pompeu Fabra (in Barcelona), the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and Carlos III University of Madrid. Scheffler was a Fulbright Scholar at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic in 1993 and at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago, Chile in 2012-2013. He was granted the Chair of Excellence Award at the Carlos III University of Madrid in 2013.Richard M. Scheffler. (n.d.). Health Affairs. Retrieved June 29, 2023, from https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hauthor20140311.436479 In 2015, he received the Gold Medal from Charles University in Prague for his longstanding and continued support of international scientific and educational collaboration.Richard M. Scheffler. (n.d.). The Commonwealth Fund. Retrieved June 29, 2023, from https://www.commonwealthfund.org/person/richard-m-scheffler
Scheffler was endowed with $2 million by the Attorney General of California to establish the Nicholas C. Petris Center on Health Care Markets and Consumer Welfare.Attorney General Lockyer Announces Proceeds from Antitrust Settlement to be Used for Consumer Research & Advocacy. (1999, June 23). State of California - Department of Justice - Office of the Attorney General. https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-lockyer-announces-proceeds-antitrust-settlement-be-used The health economics center, affiliated with UC Berkeley, conducts empirical research on healthcare markets, accessibility, quality, and affordability, especially for low-income populations. These issues were all important to the late California State Senator Nicholas Petris. In 1999, as the Endowed Chair in Health Care Markets and Consumer Welfare, Scheffler officially opened the doors to the Petris Center.
Scheffler retired from teaching in 2018, but as an Emeritus Professor he remains the Director of the Petris Center. He continues to lead research projects on private equity, public options, and market competition with the goal of influencing public policy. As an honor, the faculty established the Richard Scheffler Health Economics Award to be given annually to the student with the most outstanding Berkeley PhD dissertation in health economics.Haryanto, C. (2022, April 28). Richard Scheffler Health Economics Award Recipients 2022. The Nicholas C. Petris Center. https://petris.org/richard-scheffler-health-economics-award-recipients-2022/
==Contributions and Publications==
Scheffler has written and edited twelve books while publishing over 300 papers. He was the sole editor of World Scientific Series in Global Health Economics and Public Policy: Volume 3Scheffler, R. M. (2016). World Scientific Handbook of Global Health Economics and Public Policy: Volume 3 — Health System Characteristics and Performance (Vol. 3). WORLD SCIENTIFIC. https://doi.org/10.1142/9200-vol3 and the first of three editors of World Scientific Series in Global Health Economics and Public Policy: Volume 7Scheffler, R. M., Shumway, M., & Chereches, R. M. (2020). Mental Health in Central and Eastern Europe: Improving Care and Reducing Stigma — Important Cases for Global Study (Vol. 07). WORLD SCIENTIFIC. https://doi.org/10.1142/11424. With over 10,000 Google Scholar citations and a Google h-index of 53https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=M5YpgiUAAAAJ&hl=en#d=gsc_md_hist&t=1686372453525, his work falls into four broad categories.
===Health Workforce===
Scheffler's impact on global health economics is prominent in workforce policy. In 2003, he was elected President of the International Health Economics Association (IHEA), which consists of over 2000 members from more than 60 countries, and chaired the IHEA meeting in San Francisco.Richard M. Scheffler PhD - UC Berkeley Public Health Faculty. (n.d.). UC Berkeley Public Health. Retrieved June 21, 2023, from https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/people/richard-scheffler/ Scheffler's research has centered on the financing of health systems by various countries and most recently, on workforce shortages particularly in Africa, the United States, and other OECD countries. Utilizing economic models, he has estimated the shortages and surpluses of physicians and nurses not only in the United States but also worldwide. Additionally, his work has highlighted the importance of primary care, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. He was one of the first economists to consider the effects of utilizing physician assistants in the delivery of healthcare in the United States.Scheffler, Richard M. – Physician Assistant History Society®. (n.d.). Physician Assistant History Society. Retrieved June 21, 2023, from https://pahx.org/assistants/scheffler-richard-m/
Scheffler has advised a number of countries on workforce policy in regions including Peru, Chile, and Brazil as well as been a visiting scholar at the Rockefeller Foundation in Bellagio, Italy, where he wrote his critically acclaimed book Is There a Doctor in the House? Market Signals and Tomorrow's Supply of Doctors released in 2008 with Stanford University Press.Scheffler, R. M. (2008). Is There a Doctor in the House?: Market Signals and Tomorrow’s Supply of Doctors. Stanford University Press. Through his lens of economics and policy, he examined the components that influence the future supply of doctors across specializations and geographic regions. He then proposed a method to improve efficiency and address the doctor shortage. Scheffler also co-authored The Labor Market for Health Workers in Africa regarding the health system in Africa and launched it at the World Bank in DC.World Bank panel and book launch with Richard Scheffler, UC Berkeley Professor of Health Economics and Public Policy. (2013, December 2). Center for Global Public Health. https://cgph.berkeley.edu/world-bank-panel-and-book-launch-with-richard-scheffler-uc-berkeley-professor-of-health-economics-and-public-policy/
A followup analysis appeared in "Projecting Shortages and Surpluses of Doctors and Nurses in the OECD: What Looms Ahead" published in 2018 in Health Economics, Policy and Law.Scheffler, R. M., & Arnold, D. R. (2019). Projecting shortages and surpluses of doctors and nurses in the OECD: What looms ahead. Health Economics, Policy, and Law, 14(2), 274–290. https://doi.org/10.1017/S174413311700055X Scheffler demonstrated that without intervention, imbalances between supply and demand of doctors and nurses would surface. A shortage of nearly 400,000 doctors across 32 OECD countries and nearly 2.5 million nurses across 23 OECD countries in the year 2030 were projected.
"Forecasting imbalances in the global health labor market and devising policy responses" appeared in Human Resources for Health in the same year and applied economic models to the global shortage of health workers.Scheffler, R. M., Campbell, J., Cometto, G., Maeda, A., Liu, J., Bruckner, T. A., Arnold, D. R., & Evans, T. (2018). Forecasting imbalances in the global health labor market and devising policy responses. Human Resources for Health, 16(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-017-0264-6 For high- and middle-income countries, a shortage will arise due to demand exceeding supply. For low-income countries, the shortage will exist for both supply and demand; demand is low because these countries lack the economic means to sustainably employ health workers.
===Mental Health===
Considered one of the founders of the field of mental health economics, Scheffler was recognized with the Carl A. Taube Award by the American Public Health Association in 2004. His work described the organization and financing of mental health as well as its impact on the cost, quality, and accessibility of mental health services.
Scheffler authored a seminal book published in 2014 by Oxford Press with psychologist Stephen P. Hinshaw at Berkeley. Hinshaw, S. P., & Scheffler, R. M. (2014).Highly cited and reviewed, it was called "…complex, thought-provoking, and urgent" by Publishers Weekly.
He also wrote numerous papers on the impact and growth of medication used to treat ADHD in the United States and globally. In "Positive association between initial ADHD medication use and academic achievement during elementary school" published in Pediatrics in 2009, Scheffler and his co-authors found that medicated ADHD children scored higher on math and reading.Scheffler, R. M., Brown, T. T., Fulton, B. D., Hinshaw, S. P., Levine, P., & Stone, S. (2009). Positive association between attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder medication use and academic achievement during elementary school. Pediatrics, 123(5), 1273–1279. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2008-1597
===Social Capital and Health===
Scheffler has worked extensively in the areas of social capital and health. He, along with co-authors, laid out the definitions, research overview, and implications of social capital in 2008 Health Economics, Policy, and Law article "Social capital, economics, and health: new evidence"Scheffler, R. M., & Brown, T. T. (2008). Social capital, economics, and health: New evidence. Health Economics, Policy, and Law, 3(Pt 4), 321–331. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1744133108004593 and 2014 Eastern Economic Journal publication "Social Capital and Health: A Concept whose Time has Come."Scheffler, R. M., Rocco, L., & Averett, S. L. (2014). Introduction to Symposium: Social Capital and Health: A Concept whose Time has Come on JSTOR. JSTOR, 40(2). https://www-jstor-org.libproxy.berkeley.edu/stable/24693634?seq=2
Mental health and social capital interacted in a 2007 Social Science & Medicine paper, 	 Scheffler and co-authors discovered a negative association between social capital and psychological distress in those with a below-median income. Furthermore, the study emphasized a need for controlling for non-time-varying omitted variables, as the association was much stronger after that was done. that appeared in 2006 in Health Economics, Scheffler and co-authors found that smokers smoked fewer cigarettes when subjected to higher social capital from religious groups, but the prevalence of smoking overall in the community is not affected by that.Brown, T. T., Scheffler, R. M., Seo, S., & Reed, M. (2006). The empirical relationship between community social capital and the demand for cigarettes. Health Economics, 15(11), 1159–1172. https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.1119
Scheffler has also co-authored the writing of World Scientific Series in Global Health Economics and Public Policy: Volume 2 with Chapter 6: Measures of Social Capital, published in Singapore.Scheffler, R. M., & Bahgat, Y. (2014). Chapter 6: Measures of Social Capital. World Scientific Book Chapters, 67–92. He wrote the foreword and edited the book, and has had his share of hands-on global experience. He has studied social capital in Indonesia and identified its positive association with good health in "Social capital and health in Indonesia," which appeared in World Development in 2006.Miller, D. L., Scheffler, R., Lam, S., Rosenberg, R., & Rupp, A. (2006). Social capital and health in Indonesia. World Development, 34(6), 1084–1098. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2005.11.006 His similar finding in Argentina is described in "Social capital and self-rated health in Argentina," published in Health Economics in 2012.Ronconi, L., Brown, T. T., & Scheffler, R. M. (2012). Social capital and self-rated health in Argentina. Health Economics, 21(2), 201–208. https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.1696
A highlight of his written work was his collaboration with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to produce a report entitled "Social Capital, Human Capital, and Health: What is the Evidence?" that reviewed social capital and its relationship to physical well-being, psychological health, and education, both at an individual and communal level.Scheffler, R. M., Borgonovi, F., Brown, T. T., Sassi, F., & Sirven, N. (2010). Social Capital, Human Capital, and Health: What is the Evidence? OECD. https://www.oecd.org/education/research/45760738.pdf
Lastly, Scheffler has given numerous talks on this topic. He launched a series on social capital and health with the goal of improving research on it internationally, with the first meeting in 2006 and biennial workshops hosted at various universities afterwards.Fifth Biennial Workshop on Social Capital and Health. (n.d.). Canadian Centre for Health Economics - Centre Canadien En Economie de La Santé. Retrieved June 22, 2023, from https://www.canadiancentreforhealtheconomics.ca/learn/conferences-and-seminars/fifth-biennial-workshop-social-capital-health/ Notable seminars of the series include "Social Capital Global Network" in the Institute for Research and Information in Health Economics in Paris in 2008Social Capital Global Network 2008: Workshop on social capital and Health—Institute for research and information in health economics. (n.d.). Retrieved June 22, 2023, from https://www.irdes.fr/english/conferences-and-workshops/social-capital-global-network-10-11-october-2008/presentation.html and "Social Capital and Healthy Aging" at the Canadian Centre for Health Economics in Toronto in 2014. In 2016, he led a public lecture called "The relationship between social capital and health: What mechanisms and empirical evidence" at the University of Oxford as a feature of his Astor Visiting Lectureship.The relationship between social capital and health: What mechanisms and empirical evidence. (n.d.). Retrieved June 22, 2023, from https://talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/49d70e11-56f9-481d-8814-f9b8641d3421/
===Competition in Healthcare Markets===
Scheffler has established the empirical link between healthcare mergers and acquisitions and the prices of healthcare services. His 2017 Health Affairs article, "Insurer Market Power Lowers Prices in Numerous Concentrated Provider Markets," discussed the correlation between market concentration and provider prices.Scheffler, R. M., & Arnold, D. R. (2017). Insurer Market Power Lowers Prices In Numerous Concentrated Provider Markets. Health Affairs, 36(9). https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2017.0552 In moderately concentrated markets, hospital admission prices and cardiologist, radiologist, and hematologist/oncologist visit prices were lower than in non-concentrated markets due to insurers' bargaining power. However, such price reductions do not translate to lower premiums for consumers. On the consumer side, Scheffler analyzes the effect of higher vertical integration to be a 12 percent rise in marketplace premiums, a 9 percent rise in specialist prices, and a 5 percent rise in primary care prices. This work, "Consolidation Trends In California’s Health Care System: Impacts On ACA Premiums And Outpatient Visit Prices," appeared in Health Affairs in 2018.Scheffler, R. M., Arnold, D. R., & Whaley, C. M. (2018). Consolidation Trends In California’s Health Care System: Impacts On ACA Premiums And Outpatient Visit Prices. Health Affairs, 37(9), 1409–1416. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2018.0472
A collaboration with the American Antitrust Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to competition regulation and consumer protection, produced a report in 2021 entitled "Soaring Private Equity Investment in the Healthcare Sector: Consolidation Accelerated, Competition Undermined, and Patients at Risk."Alexander, L. M., & Scheffler, R. M. (2021, May 18). Study Finds Private Equity Investment Accelerates Concentration and Undermines a Stable, Competitive Healthcare Industry. American Antitrust Institute. https://www.antitrustinstitute.org/work-product/study-finds-private-equity-investment-accelerates-concentration-and-undermines-a-stable-competitive-healthcare-industry/ The report spotlighted evidence of the negative impact of private equity in the healthcare industry. It was cited in the May 19, 2021 hearing of the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary’s Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights.Antitrust Applied: Hospital Consolidation Concerns and Solutions | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. (2021, May 19). https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/committee-activity/hearings/antitrust-applied-hospital-consolidation-concerns-and-solutions
Most recently, Scheffler has partnered with Stephen Shortell, Dean Emeritus of the University of California, Berkeley's School of Public Health, to spearhead research regarding a potential public option insurance plan for California. This culminated in a report, "Golden Choice: California's Public Option" released in 2022, that exhibited how a public option would lower healthcare costs while maintaining quality for state residents.Scheffler, R. M., & Shortell, S. M. (2023, April 21). A Proposed Public Option Plan to Increase Competition and Lower Health Insurance Premiums in California. The Commonwealth Fund. https://doi.org/10.26099/8bpe-pw67 An analysis on LA Care, which acts like a county-based public option, and its impact on premiums in the LA Region, strengthened the argument for such a plan. Scheffler, Shortell, and their research team presented their findings in Sacramento with state legislators, stakeholders, and press, as well as invoked a discussion panel moderated by Deputy Cabinet Secretary Richard Figueroa.Wolf, J. (2023, May 14). UC Berkeley Public Health Researchers Presented “Golden Choice: A Proposed Public Option Plan to Increase Competition and Lower Health Insurance Premiums” In the State Capitol. The Nicholas C. Petris Center. https://petris.org/uc-berkeley-public-health-researchers-presented-golden-choice-a-proposed-public-option-plan-to-increase-competition-and-lower-health-insurance-premiums-in-the-state-capitol/
==Additional Accomplishments==
For Scheffler's academic achievements and services to the campus, he was awarded the Berkeley Citation in 2018, one of the highest honors given by the campus.Peltz, A. (2018, May 3). Petris Center Director Dr. Richard Scheffler Receives Berkeley Citation Award. The Nicholas C. Petris Center. https://petris.org/dr-scheffler-receives-berkeley-citation-award/ Presented on behalf of the Chancellor, it is awarded to individuals whose contributions and achievements exceed the standards of excellence in their fields.
In 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Scheffler to the Healthy California For All Commission, which was tasked with developing a plan to guide California towards universal coverage.State of California. (2019, December 19). Governor Newsom Announces Healthy California for All Commission. California Governor. https://www.gov.ca.gov/2019/12/18/governor-newsom-announces-healthy-california-for-all-commission/ That same year, Scheffler was elected as an expert to the National Academy of Social Insurance.Forty-Five Experts Elected to the National Academy of Social Insurance. (n.d.). National Academy of Social Insurance. Retrieved June 27, 2023, from https://www.nasi.org/pressrelease/forty-five-experts-elected-to-the-national-academy-of-social-insurance/
Category:1943 births
Category:People from Brooklyn, New York
Category:American people
Category:Health economists