GEB Student, Mary Beth Eddy Reflects on Symposium with Health Economist and Affordable Care Act Expert, Emily Gee

"For this week’s symposium, we had the privilege to be joined by Emily Gee, a health economist and Affordable Care Act (ACA) expert. Gee currently works for the Center for American Progress (CAP), a think tank in Washington DC. Her job is to develop new healthcare policy and advocate for further implementation of the ACA and universal healthcare. When asked about her organization’s goals and strategies, Gee described how presentations given to Congressional staffers are catered to their state and platform. While she sees little chance of wholesale repeal of ACA, Gee explained that much of the act is being repealed out of public eye. One of the biggest threats to the act right now, in fact, is a convoluted lawsuit that addresses the change in the Obamacare mandate to penalize those without healthcare. Gee also discussed the many reasons why healthcare premiums are increasing so much under Trump repeals. As economics students, we were fascinated to hear the real world effects of healthcare acting like any other market. Reasons included the merger of major hospitals and several clinics; healthier patients leaving the pool in interest of saving money, leaving the highest risk patients paying the premiums; and the sheer market power of healthcare monopolies in rural areas.

Gee’s background in microeconomics and policy made her presentation incredibly relevant for the GEB cohort. Prior to working with CAP, Gee attended Harvard to study government and Russian history. Following, she traveled to Russia to work for a local newspaper and returned to the U.S. for her PhD in economics at Boston University. Emily Gee has held a variety of positions and noted that each helped develop the skills she needed to move to the next assignment. Gee stressed what other speakers alluded to as well: Your major does not determine your future and not every job you have will seem on track for you. However, the skills you learn and connections you make are important. Gee’s position at CAP requires a combination of research, writing, networking, and presentation skills, all gained through past experiences. Aside from practical knowledge of healthcare policy and her career, Gee offered a great deal of advice in terms of career searching and path. If your path is already decided, Gee noted that there is no reason to stop pursuing your goals if things don’t work as well as you hoped. Instead, you can learn from your mistakes and make the next move towards your perfect career.

Ultimately, this symposium was truly one of my favorites for its broad advice but also a detailed look into a field relevant to our studies. Much of the conversation was dominated by explanations of policies suggested by CAP and news surrounding the Affordable Care Act. I valued that Gee did not shy away from lengthy descriptions of her day to day work. She also was candid about her work and provided genuine advice on joining the labor force. GEB had the opportunity to learn a great deal about a topic that will affect us heavily in the coming years as well as lessons that can last us a lifetime."

Mary Beth Eddy, GEB 2018-19