EXPERTS ADVISORY

ANN ARBOR—The U.S. Census Bureau will release its 2013 statistics on poverty and health insurance coverage Tuesday (Sept. 16). The University of Michigan has experts available to discuss the findings. They include:

Tom Buchmueller, the Waldo O. Hildebrand Professor of Risk Management and Insurance at the Ross School of Business and a member of the Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation, is an expert on the economics of health insurance and related public policy issues. His work has examined the relationship between employer-sponsored insurance and labor market outcomes, interactions between the public sector and private insurance markets, and consumer demand for health insurance. Contact: (734) 764-5933, tbuch@umich.edu

Richard Hirth, professor and associate chair of the Department of Health Management and Policy at the U-M School of Public Health and a member of the Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation, can discuss the general economics of health insurance. He’s also a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine. Contact: (734) 936-1306, rhirth@umich.edu

Reuben Miller, assistant professor of social work, specializes in social welfare policy and the urban poor. He has a forthcoming handbook on poverty in the U.S. and has written articles in journals of criminology, public health and poverty studies. Contact: (734) 763-5951, mreuben@umich.edu

Kristin Seefeldt, assistant professor of social work, explores how low-income individuals understand their situations, particularly around issues related to work and economic well-being. She is conducting research on family financial coping strategies and is a principal investigator of a survey examining the effects of the recession and recovery policies on individuals’ well-being. Contact: (734​) ​717-1239, kseef@umich.edu

Luke Shaefer, assistant professor of social work, can discuss the measurement of poverty and alternative metrics for measuring hardship. He has published articles on rising extreme poverty in the U.S., the effects of major anti-poverty programs, and low-wage work. Contact: (734) 936-5065, lshaefer@umich.edu

NOTE: U-M has a professional studio and uplink capabilities.