ANN ARBOR—University of Michigan experts are available to discuss the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2011 report that includes health insurance coverage data, which is expected to be released Wednesday (Sept. 12). They include:

Tom Buchmueller, the Waldo O. Hildebrand Professor of Risk Management and Insurance at the Ross School of Business, is an expert on the economics of health insurance and related public policy issues. His recent 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. In 2011-2012, Buchmueller was the senior health economist at the Council of Economic Advisers in the Executive Office of the President. He can be reached at (734) 764-5933 or 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, can discuss how the bill may or may not function with or without the mandate. Hirth’s expertise is the general economics of health insurance, and he’s also a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine. He may be reached at rhirth@umich.edu.

Peter Jacobson, the director for the Center for Law, Ethics and Health at the U-M School of Public Health, can address any of the legal or policy implications of the health reform case. Jacobson, an attorney, is a professor of health management and policy. His research focuses on the relationship between law and health care delivery, law and public health systems, public health ethics, and health care safety net services. He can be reached at pdj@umich.edu.

Aaron Kall, director of U-M Debate, can discuss how the health insurance coverage data will likely be among the issues discussed during the upcoming presidential and vice-presidential debates. He can be reached at (734) 239-3996 or akall@umich.edu.

Helen Levy, research associate professor at the Ford School of Public Policy, School of Public Health and Institute for Social Research, is an expert on the causes and consequences of lacking health insurance, evaluation of public health insurance programs and the role of health literacy in explaining disparities in health outcomes. She is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and served as a senior economist to the President’s Council of Economic Advisers in 2010-11. She can be reached at (734) 936-4506 or hlevy@umich.edu.

Michael Traugott, professor of communication studies and senior research scientist at the Institute for Social Research’s Center for Political Studies, is an authority on political communication and public opinion. He can be reached at (734) 647-0421 or mtrau@umich.edu.

To view a link for experts who can discuss the U.S. Census Bureau’s poverty and income figures, visit www.ns.umich.edu/new/releases/21-advisories/20743-u-m-experts-available-to-discuss-census-bureau-s-latest-data-on-poverty.