Alan Sager | Profiles RNS

Alan P. Sager, PhD

Professor

Boston University School of Public Health

Health Law, Policy & Management

PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MEd, University of Miami
BA, Brandeis University

Websites

	School of Public Health Faculty
	Health Reform Program
	Public Relations - BU Experts
	Linkedin
	ResearchGate

ORCID : 0000-0001-8435-7709

Alan Sager specialized in health in graduate school because it looked like the easiest sector in which to win affordable equity for all Americans since so much money was already spent on medical care. (Not easy-just easier than anything else.) His main interests are health reform--combining universal coverage with cost control, and improving both finance and delivery; preserving needed physician, hospital, and long-term care services; boosting the supply of primary care; and winning affordable prescription drug prices while incentivizing innovative pharmaceutical research. He has studied causes and effects of urban hospital closings, finding a strong and persistent link between race of the people living near a hospital and the probability of closing. Hospital efficiency doesn't predicts survival. Alan designed a "time banking" method of mobilizing voluntary help for people with disabilities. By creating a market for good deeds, it allows volunteers to help others when convenient. Time would be banked. Former volunteers who themselves needed help could trade their banked time for help from a new volunteer. Alan holds a B.A. in economics from Brandeis and a Ph.D. in city and regional planning (specializing in health care) from MIT.

Alan Sager is writing a book titled The Easiest: Affordable High-quality Health Care Is the Easiest Problem to Fix in the United States.
Available at no charge, it is being posted chapter-by-chapter on https://www.healthreformprogram.info

BU Research

Access and Affordability Monitoring Project
01/01/2000 - 12/31/2001 (PI)
Boston Foundation, The

Direct to Consumer Advertising of Prescription Drugs on Patient Caregiver Relationships
01/01/2000 - 06/30/2001 (PI)
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Access and Affordability Monitoring Project
01/01/2000 - 12/31/2000 (PI)
New England Financial

Evidence for Health Care Equity and Cost Control
01/01/2000 - 12/31/2000 (PI)
Boston Globe Foundation

Title

Yr	Title	Project-Sub Proj	Pubs

Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.

iCite Analysis Copy PMIDs To Clipboard

Alan Sager. The Easiest - Chapter 1 - How the United States Won Affordable Health Care for All - A Letter from 2035. 2025. View Publication
Alan Sager. The Easiest: Affordable High-quality Health Care for All Is the Easiest Problem to Fix in the United States. 2025; i - xxv. View Publication

Vasudevan A, Bailey HM, Sager A, Kazis LE. Impact of the Early COVID-19 Pandemic on Burn Care: A Multi-National Study. J Burn Care Res. 2023 May 02; 44(3):580-589.View Related Profiles.

Sager, Alan
Kazis, Lewis

PMID: 35661890; PMCID: PMC9214119; DOI: 10.1093/jbcr/irac076;

Marc A. Rodwin and Alan Sager. The No Surprises Act: A Conservative Band-Aid to Protect Business as Usual. International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Health Services. 2023; 53(1):63-68. View Publication

Kazis LE, Sager A, Bailey HM, Vasudevan A, Garrity B, Tompkins RG. Physical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Care After Burn Injury: A Multinational Study. J Burn Care Res. 2022 Jul 01; 43(4):868-879.View Related Profiles.

Sager, Alan
Garrity, Brigid
Kazis, Lewis

PMID: 34788851

Kazis LE, Sager A, Bailey HM, Vasudevan A, Garrity B, Tompkins RG. Erratum to: Physical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Care After Burn Injury: A Multinational Study. J Burn Care Res. 2022 May 17; 43(3):758.View Related Profiles.

Sager, Alan
Garrity, Brigid
Kazis, Lewis

PMID: 35032165

Wilkinson GW, Sager A, Selig S, Antonelli R, Morton S, Hirsch G, Lee CR, Ortiz A, Fox D, Lupi MV, Acuff C, Wachman M. No Equity, No Triple Aim: Strategic Proposals to Advance Health Equity in a Volatile Policy Environment. Am J Public Health. 2017 Dec; 107(S3):S223-S228. PMID: 29236539; PMCID: PMC5732569; DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2017.304000;

Sager A. Favorable View of Mass. Health Costs Undone by the Data. The Boston Globe. 2016. View Publication
Sager A. Testimony on Proposed Revisions in Massachusetts Determination of Need Regulations, 105 CMR 100.000 - 100.825. Alan Sager. Boston, Mass. 2016. View Publication
Sager A. It's Time to Confront the Drug Makers. Democracy. 2016. View Publication

Showing 10 of 66 results. Show More

Sager A. Choosing a Boston University Health Insurance Plan for 2016. Health Reform Program. Boston, MA. 2015. View Publication

Sager A. Simple steps can protect, expand primary care capacity. Med Econ. 2013 Feb 10; 90(3):68, 67. PMID: 23875277

Sager A. Hospital Closings: Causes, Consequences, and Responses. Boston Occupier. 2012. View Publication
Sager A. Paying New York State Hospitals More Fairly for Their Care to Uninsured Patients. A Report to the Commission on the Public’s Health System. New York, New York. 2011; 168 pages. View Publication
Sager A, Socolar D. Massachusetts Hospital Spending Reached 55.4 per Person above the U.S. Average in 2007: Most of Excess Is Unjustified and State's Health Reform Law Is Negligible. 2010; 211 pages. View Publication
Sager A. Why Stabilizing St. Vincent's Is Essential. The Villager. 2010; 1. View Publication
Sager A, Socolar D. This Year’s $72 Billion in Health Spending in Massachusetts Is Enough to Finance the Care that Works: Proposals to Simply Bundle Payments to Hospitals and Doctors for Individual Episodes of Care, While Reasonable and Well-intentioned, Are Not Likely to Contain Costs. 2009. View Publication
Sager A, Socolar D. Make Doctors Agents of Health Care Cost Controls. Boston Globe op-ed. 2008; 1. View Publication
Sager A, Socolar D. Mass. Mess: Mandates Ensure Everyone Is Covered--Inadequately. 2007. View Publication
Sager A, Socolar D. Seeking a Cure for Health Care: New York State Needs to Cut Waste, Not Close Hospitals. 2007.

Sager A. Facing the long-term care crisis: lessons from Robert Morris' innovations. J Aging Soc Policy. 2007; 19(3):119-24. PMID: 17613476

Sager A. Closing Hospitals in New York State Won't Save Money but Will Harm Access to Care. Health Reform Program. Boston. 2006; 53 pages. View Publication
Sager A, Socolar D. Massachusetts Health Sepnding Soars to $62.1 Billion in 2006: Spending Here Is World's Highest--33% per Person above U.S.A. Average, an Unprecedented Excess. 2006; 87 pages. View Publication
Sager A. Drug Cost Law Should Be Enforced. Charleston (W. Va.) Gazette. 2006; 1.
Sager A, Socolar D. Health Care for All Requires Cost Control. Health Reform Program. Boston. 2006; 74 pages. View Publication
Sager A, Socolar D. Health Care Myths and Realities. Boston Globe. 2005.
Sager A, Socolar D. "$1 Billion per Week Is Enough: Recycling the Half Health Care Spending New Wasted--Not Cutting Benefits or Rationing by Ability to Pay--Is Key to Financing High Quality Affordable Care for All,". A Report Submitted as Testimony on S. 755, An Act to Establish the Massachusetts Health Care Trust, Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, Massachusetts General Court. 2005; 72 pages. View Publication
Sager A, Socolar D. Why Are Massachusetts Health Care Costs Soaring, and Can Anything Be Done about It?. 2005. View Publication
Sager A, Socolar D. Health Crisis Index Rose 37 Percent, 1987 - 2003: High Spending Associated with Growth in Uninsured Share of Americans. Health Reform Program Data Brief No. 9. 2005; 14 pages. View Publication
Sager A, Socolar D. Shooting at the Wrong Target. Tom Paine. 2005. View Publication
Sager A, Socolar D. Health Costs Absorb One-quarter of Economic Growth, 2000 - 2005: Recent Federal Report Unintentionally Obscures Massive Rise; Physicians' Decisions Key to Controlling Cost. 2005; 56 pages. View Publication
Sager A. Report to the Princeton Health Care Task Force on the University Medical Center at Princeton's Capital Needs and Location Options. 2005; 31 pages. View Publication
Sager A. Winning Durably Affordable Innovative Drugs: A Few Lessons from the Arguments over Importing Drugs from Canada. Connecticut Journal of International Law. 2005; 20(2):257-265.
Sager A, Socolar D. Poorer, Sicker States Face Heavier Drug Cost Burdens: Rising Burdens Mean Pressure for Action Likely to Grow. Health Reform Program. Boston. 2004; 52 pages. View Publication
Sager A, Socolar D. Do Drug Makers Lose Money on Canadian Imports?. Health Reform Program. Boston. 2004; 20 pages. View Publication
Sager A, Socolar D. 61 Percent of Medicare's New Prescription Drug Subsidy Is Windfall Profit to Drug Makers. Health Reform Program. Boston. 2003; 21 pages. View Publication
Sager A, Socolar D. Huge Sums of Money Are Stolen from What We Spend to Delay Death, Treat Pain, and Overcome Disability. Newsday. 2003. View Publication
Sager A, Socolar D. Lower Prescription Drug Prices Are Vital to Both Patients and Drug Makers—But Instead, U.S. Prices Have Been Rising Rapidly Relative to Those in Other Wealthy Nations. Health Reform Program. Boston. 2003; 10 pages. View Publication
McKenna V, Sager A, Gunn J, Tormey P, Barry MA. Immunization Registries: Costs and Savings. Public Health Reports. 2003; 117:386-392. View Publication
Sager A. Rodde et al. v. Bonta et al. The Proposed Closing of Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center Endangers the Health of Disabled Medi-Cal Patients Who Reside in Los Angeles County. 2003; 41 pages. View Publication
Sager A, Socolar D, Brand R, Ford D. Rhode Island Can Afford Health Care for All: Covering Everyone Comprehensively without Spending More--A Report to the Rhode Island Legislature. 2002; 57 pages. View Publication
Sager A, Socolar D. Crashing through the Windshield: Health Care Will Consume 18 Percent of Personal Income in 2002. 2002. View Publication
Sager A. Crafting an Affordable Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit: Lessons from the Veterans Administration Experience. 2002. View Publication

McKenna VB, Sager A, Gunn JE, Tormey P, Barry MA. Immunization registries: costs and savings. Public Health Rep. 2002 Jul-Aug; 117(4):386-92.View Related Profiles.

Sager, Alan
Barry, M.

PMID: 12477921; PMCID: PMC1497442

Sager A, Socolar D. Too Many Local Hospitals on Life Support: With Number of Beds Halved since 1980, State Should Alter Its Closings Policy. 2002. View Publication
Sager A. Minority Report to the Massachusetts Health Care Task Force. 2002. View Publication

Sager A. Saving community care: suggestions from Alan Sager. Interview by Suzanne Gordon. Revolution. 2000 Mar-Apr; 1(2):28-9. PMID: 12018082

Sager A, Socolar D. Do Rx drugs cost too much? The market needs a peace treaty. Bus Health. 1997 Oct; 15(10):51, 53. PMID: 10175196

Sager A. What we've learned about containing health care costs. Health PAC Bull. 1993; 23(2):41-3. PMID: 10129115

Socolar D, Sager A, Hiam P. Competing to death: California's high-risk system. J Am Health Policy. 1992 Mar-Apr; 2(2):45-50. PMID: 10117912

Sager A, Socolar D, Hiam P. Lessons from the failure of Massachusetts' 1988 Universal Health Insurance Law. J Aging Soc Policy. 1992; 4(1-2):9-15. PMID: 10186812

Glotzer D, Sager A, Socolar D, Weitzman M. Prior approval in the pediatric emergency room. Pediatrics. 1991 Oct; 88(4):674-80. PMID: 1896269

Sager A. Making universal health insurance work in Massachusetts. Law Med Health Care. 1989; 17(3):269-82. PMID: 2811466

Sager A. Prices of equitable access: the new Massachusetts health insurance law. Hastings Cent Rep. 1988 Jun-Jul; 18(3):21-5. PMID: 3294210

Sager A. Health care for all and not a penny more: a proposal. Health PAC Bull. 1988; 18(1):21-6. PMID: 10287428

Sager A. Equal access to urban hospital care: threats and responses. Urban Health. 1983 Apr; 12(4):30-1. PMID: 10262602

Sager A. A proposal for promoting more adequate long-term care for the elderly. Gerontologist. 1983 Feb; 23(1):13-7. PMID: 6403412

Sager A. Why urban voluntary hospitals close. Health Serv Res. 1983; 18(3):451-75. PMID: 6360956; PMCID: PMC1068770

Sager A. Who should control long-term planning for the elderly? Home Health Care Serv Q. 1982 Fall-Winter; 3(3-4):129-47. PMID: 10310190

Sager A. Improving the provision of long-term care. Aging. 1982 Mar-Apr; (325-326):16-27. PMID: 10309652

Sager A. Evaluating the home care service needs of the elderly: a research note. Home Health Care Serv Q. 1982; 3(2):87-91. PMID: 10262333; DOI: 10.1300/J027v03n02_07;

Sager A. Survival of the fattest, Part II. Health PAC Bull. 1981 Nov-Dec; 12(8):25-31. PMID: 10254851

Sager A. Urban voluntary hospitals: predictable closure/relocation pattern? Hosp Prog. 1981 Oct; 62(10):46-53. PMID: 10252744

Sager A. Survival of the fattest. Health PAC Bull. 1981 Sep-Oct; 12(7):21-31. PMID: 10253483

Sager A. Urban hospital closings in the face of racial change. Health Law Proj Libr Bull. 1980 Jun; 5(6):169-81. PMID: 10247254

Morris R, Sager A. Letter: Duration of home health services. N Engl J Med. 1976 Mar 11; 294(11):616. PMID: 1107837

This graph shows the total number of publications by year, by first, middle/unknown, or last author.

Bar chart showing 65 publications over 29 distinct years, with a maximum of 8 publications in 2005

Bar chart showing 65 publications over 29 distinct years, with a maximum of 8 publications in 2005

Year	Publications
1980	1
1981	3
1982	3
1983	3
1988	2
1989	1
1991	1
1992	2
1993	1
1997	1
2000	1
2002	6
2003	5
2004	2
2005	8
2006	4
2007	3
2008	1
2009	1
2010	2
2011	1
2012	1
2013	1
2015	1
2016	3
2017	1
2022	2
2023	2
2025	2

Media Mentions

Recent (within 3 months)

Primary care in crisis: A plan in Massachusetts to fix the problem, but some are skeptical

Worcester Telegram and Gazette 6/24/2025

What’s the Price Outlook for Weight-Loss Drugs?

MSN 5/27/2025

Baystate Health CEO accused of plagiarism amid company’s financial struggles

Boston Globe 5/15/2025

Trump's order on US drug prices: What's in it, and will it work?

BBC News 5/12/2025

What’s in it, and will it work?

Business and America 5/12/2025

Older

‘We’ve been hit by a wave’: Mass General Brigham loses millions in medical research grants under Trump cuts

Boston Globe 4/1/2025

Four concrete ways Massachusetts can lower health care costs

Boston Globe 3/18/2025

Health care spending in Massachusetts soared in 2023. Here’s what’s to blame

Boston Globe 3/12/2025

Softened reports. Lax oversight. How state officials enabled Steward’s rise and fall.

Boston Globe 12/16/2024

Some patients are paying up to $50,000 per year in fees for ‘concierge medicine.’ Here’s what’s behind its rise.

Boston Globe 11/15/2024

No Surprises Act: Private Equity Scores Big in Arbitrations

Medscape 8/23/2024

Steward Health works on deals for Mass. hospitals ahead of bankruptcy hearing

WBUR 7/29/2024

Herbert Pardes, Who Steered the Growth of a Giant Hospital, Dies at 89

New York Times 5/9/2024

New Biden initiative targets controversial hospital ‘facility fees’ that often surprise patients

STAT 7/10/2023

Hospitals face rough waters from high costs

Axios 5/1/2023

MetroHealth trustees misled but not negligent in Akram Boutros’ unauthorized payments, board VP says

Cleveland.com 12/9/2022

How the Inflation Reduction Act Will Affect Healthcare Costs—Especially for Medicare Beneficiaries

Health 8/19/2022

Hospitals furloughed and laid off hundreds. Some executives still saw pay increases.

The Boston Globe 8/17/2022

Readers and Tweeters Go to the Mat on Abortion Rights and Perceived Wrongs

Kaiser Health Network 6/2/2022

Downsized City Sees Its Health Care Downsized as Hospital Awaits Demolition

Kaiser Health Network 5/2/2022

In Hammond, historic hospital awaits demolition amid changes in health care

Chicago Sun Times 4/29/2022

The pandemic rocked this small hospital in a mostly Black suburb. Now it’s trying to grow.

The Washington Post 6/21/2021

Orange County Hospital Seeks Divorce From Large Catholic Health System

US News 4/8/2021

Her Doctor's Office Moved 1 Floor Up. Why Did Her Treatment Cost 10 Times More?

NPR 3/26/2021

Drug Patent Database Revamp Falls Short of Tackling High Costs

Bloomberg 1/8/2021

Indiana public hospital CEOs can keep their multi-million dollar compensation a secret

Indy Star 12/16/2020

Amy Coney Barrett’s Ambivalence Towards Medicare Raises Concerns About a Constitutional Challenge

Newsweek 10/26/2020

Congress must probe performance of health care execs

The Boston Herald 9/14/2020

Sandra Fenwick, CEO of Boston Children’s Hospital, plans to retire in March

The Boston Globe 9/9/2020

With virus cases soaring, closed hospitals become a precious source of beds

The Washington Post 3/27/2020

Here’s what crushed it, and what got crushed, in 2019

Boston Business Journal 12/19/2019

Here's what crushed it, and what got crushed, in 2019

Boston Business Journal 12/19/2019

Industry: Medicare Plans of 2020 Democratic Candidates Will Make US ‘Pay More and Wait Longer for Lower-Quality Care’

The Epoch Times 12/16/2019

Surprise Recovery: Five years later, many fears of the closure of Quincy Medical Center haven’t borne out

Boston Business Journal 10/4/2019

Quincy May Soon Be the Largest City in Mass. Without an ER. Then What?

The Patriot Ledger 8/9/2019

Philadelphia Hospital Collapse Highlights Health Care ‘Anarchy’

Bloomberg 7/15/2019

Code Red: The Grim State of Urban Hospitals

U.S. News 7/10/2019

As Partners HealthCare rethinks its strategy, it’s considering whether to change its name

Boston Globe 7/1/2019

Express Scripts’ $25 monthly cap on insulin a ‘smoke screen’

Boston Herald 4/3/2019

Predictions for 2019 from BU Experts

BU Today 1/22/2019

Maura Healey approves hospital merger

Boston Herald 11/30/2018

Trump prescription medication plan drawing skepticism

The Boston Herald 11/3/2018

Justice Department Approves CVS Purchase of Aetna

Boston Herald 10/11/2018

1994-2018 Boston University School of Public Health: 15 teaching awards for 4 different courses

1988 Boston University School of Public Health: Norman A. Scotch Teaching Award

1982 Gerontological Society of America: Fellow

Contact for Mentoring:

715 Albany St Talbot Building
Boston MA 02118
Google Map

617.962.3499

Download vCard

Sager's Networks

Click the "See All" links for more information and interactive visualizations

Concepts

See all (107) concept(s)

Media Mentions

Co-Authors

See all (2) people

Similar People

See all (60) people

Same Department

Search Department