Featured Researcher: Timothy Layton
Timothy Layton is a research associate in the NBER’s programs on the Economics of Aging and the Economics of Health. He is associate professor of public policy and economics at the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy of the University of Virginia.
Layton’s research focuses on the economics of health insurance, spanning issues related to Medicaid, Medicare, and private health insurance markets. He currently co-leads a project on the impact of administrative burdens on healthcare for people with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD), which is part of the NBER’s project on Healthcare Decision-Making and Outcomes for People Living with Alzheimer’s Disease. His project examines the extent to which ADRD patients confront administrative barriers—such as billing hassles, prior authorization restrictions, and the complex application and eligibility redetermination processes for public insurance programs. It also considers the consequences of these bureaucratic hassles for access to care and health outcomes.
His work has been recognized twice with the Mark A. Satterthwaite Award for Outstanding Research in Healthcare Markets from Northwestern University. A recent article studying the impact of managed care plans on healthcare spending among Medicaid recipients received research awards in 2024 from both the American Statistical Association and the American Society of Health Economists. He currently serves as co-editor of the Journal of Health Economics.
Layton earned a BA in economics and political science from Brigham Young University and a PhD in economics from Boston University. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Virginia, he was a National Institute of Mental Health postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard and a faculty member in the Department of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School. At Harvard, he chaired the economics track of the Health Policy PhD program, where he advised more than 20 students over the years.
Outside of academia, Layton is an avid runner and cyclist and the father of three active boys, who keep him very busy.
