I’ve been thinking quite a bit about stupidity lately. More specifically, I’ve been thinking about developing an entire conference session presenting an analysis on the economic benefits of stupidity. Now, I must explain that I am not talking about stupid people per se, but rather non-stupid people who may occasionally do stupid things. And, of…
Where I’ve Been: Writing About What’s Possible
Several people have asked me recently why I haven’t been writing as much this year on Bob’s Cluttered Desk. The short answer is: I’ve been writing. Just not here. For the past several months, I’ve been working on something I’ve wanted to write for quite some time—a book about an idea I’ve been championing since…
WCRI – When Hospitals Close, Workers Drive Farther — But the Cost Story Isn’t What You’d Expect
When a hospital closes, the intuitive assumption is that everything gets worse — longer drives, delayed treatment, higher medical costs, extended disability. New research from the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute suggests the reality is more nuanced than that, and the findings carry important implications for employers, carriers, and injured workers in communities losing access to…
Work Requirements, Claim Shifting, and the GLP-1 Reckoning: Sommers Fields Questions at WCRI
Q&A Session Following the Opening Keynote at the 2026 WCRI Issues and Research Conference Following his opening keynote at the 2026 Workers’ Compensation Research Institute Issues and Research Conference, Harvard health economist Dr. Benjamin Sommers sat down with WCRI CEO Ramona Tanabe for an extended Q&A session that drew pointed questions from the audience. If…
WCRI – Health Coverage in Flux: Harvard Economist Warns Workers’ Comp Industry to Brace for Fallout from Federal Policy Shifts
The workers’ compensation industry may soon feel the reverberations of sweeping changes to America’s health insurance landscape, according to Dr. Benjamin Sommers, who delivered the opening keynote address at the 2026 Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) Issues and Research Conference here in Boston today. Dr. Sommers, the Huntley Quelch Professor of Health Care Economics at…