Sem, Niederjohn of Concordia University Wisconsin will conduct health care research
March 29, 2022 — The Badger Institute today welcomed a health care expert and an economist to its Visiting Fellows Program: Dan Sem, Director of the Rx Think Tank at Concordia University Wisconsin, and Scott Niederjohn, economist and director of the Free Enterprise Center at Concordia, will provide research on ways to control costs and increase transparency in health care.
Sem, the author of “Purple Solutions: A Bipartisan Roadmap to Better Healthcare in America,” has a Ph.D. in biochemistry from UW Madison and an MBA and JD from Marquette University. He is vice provost for Research and Innovation, as well as a professor of Business and of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Sem has published more than 70 peer-reviewed papers and has 10 issued patents.
Niederjohn holds a Ph.D. in economics from UW-Milwaukee and an MBA from Marquette University. He has published more than 60 articles, reports and other content in professional journals and is also co-author of two books including, “Economic Episodes in American History.”
“We’re thrilled to have Scott and Dan join us as visiting fellows at the Badger Institute,” said President Mike Nichols. “We pride ourselves on finding the smartest people in the country to help us figure out the best way forward in this state, people who understand and believe in free markets and upward mobility. Sometimes, we get lucky and find the smartest people right in our backyard.”
The pair are currently working on A Roadmap for Healthcare Reform, which will be part of the Badger Institute’s Mandate for Madison.
They will also coauthor a paper on how to achieve transparency in health care, examining the costs added to Wisconsinites’ medical bills or insurance due to opaque pricing, and the legal and regulatory barriers in Wisconsin that stand in the way of consumers learning prices, accessing better treatments or choosing more cost-effective options.
“Healthcare reform is very much needed, since costs are clearly getting out of control,” said Sem. “We need more affordable and accessible quality healthcare in Wisconsin, and across the country. I am excited to partner with the strong team at Badger Institute, to objectively research policy options that can achieve these goals for Wisconsinites, by leveraging the benefits of free and transparent markets that serve healthcare consumers.”
“I’m pleased to continue my long relationship with the Badger Institute and admire the evidence-based policy work they contribute to the challenging problems facing Wisconsin,” said Niederjohn. “I look forward to preparing research on free-market solutions to problems in healthcare that will benefit Wisconsin’s patients and providers.”
