Dr. Gillestkie attended the University of NC at Chapel Hill
where she received a degree in both math and economics. She received her PhD in Economics
from the University of Minnesota. She is currently an assistant
professor in the Economics Department at UNC Chapel Hill where
she conducts reseach on consumer behavior with regard to health
care consumption, health insurance decisions, and employment
and absenteeism choices.
She and her husband Gary have a son named Matthew and are expecting the birth of their second child on March 28, 2001.
Health Economics looks at the financial aspect of medical coverage in today's society. Many different health insurance plans are available, generally through a person's place
of employment;however, a growing percentage of Americans are uninsured. This decline in the number
of people with health insurance is not due to a decrease in availability. Employees are actually
being offered coverage. In 1987, 72% of all workers were offered job related health coverage compared
to 75% offered coverage in 1996. Despite this slight increase in availabiity, only 80% of those
offered coverage in 1996 accepted while 88% accepted in 1987. Dr. Gilleskie proposes a number of
reasons for the decline in the rate of health insurance including:
As a Health Economist, Dr. Gilleskie uses mathematical equations to model the way that
people make healthcare decisions in the US. Her work is very unique because she is using dynamic programming models incorporating the stochastic information available to consumers
and estimates the structural parameters of the individuals optimization
problems. Solution and estimation of these models allow her to simulate
different options in healthcare plans making the models more applicable to real life.
Dr.Gilleskie's work is the first programming model to estimate how people react to different
health care policies. Models developed in the past have been able to predict the effects of existing
policies, but could not test the effects of prospective policies. Dr. Gilleskie's model can predict
and analyze the effects of theoretical, alternative policies using data from responses to existing
health care plans. In her models she looks at the effects of these policies on men and women of
varying economic and demographical backgrounds to see how these variables, if they do, affect decisions.
Some of these equations can be found by clicking here. These equations can be
used to show the relationship between choices made by people and their chosen healthcare plan. To
read more about her research, visit her abstracts
and read about her research interests.
Using her mathematical models, Dr. Gilleskie is able to understand healthcare decisions made by people based on their provider plans. Understanding these decisions, such as the decisions to go to the doctor, stay home from work or to go to work sick, can help employers make the best economic choice for themselves as a company, and for their employees if the coverage is employer supported. Past policies have proven ineffective and unfitting as the the number of people accepting health care coverage is declining. Dr. Gilleskie's work is very relevent in today's society as her models can help form alternative, more effective healthcare policies. Her research is especially significant as the financial aspect of health care has become more controversial in recent years. For example, Hilary Clinton promises to make health care financing her highest priority as the Senator of New York. She hopes to improve access to health care, affordability, and quality of coverage. To read more about Clinton's health care goals in an article by the Wall Street Journal, click here . Gilleskie's models would help develop a health care policy including the desired qualities that Clinton specifies. Furthermore, as Dr. Gilleskie's models can be used as an aid to predicting the effects of the steadily increasing premiums that have become so controversial in recent press. To read an article from the Wall Street Journal about this rise in premiums, click here.These models can also help the government in making decisions about regulating healthcare and for future plans about medicare.