Rashi Fein, DLITT, PhD

Educational History

  • B.A. (l948), Ph.D. (l956), The Johns Hopkins University;
  • M.A. (1976), Harvard University
  • (Hon.) D.Litt. (1996), State University of New York

Rashi Fein is professor of Economics of Medicine, Emeritus. He is currently working on a book of “stories,” narratives of events that he participated in or witnessed, which help to illustrate the way public policy positions are developed, the kinds of dilemmas that policy advisors often encounter, and the need for balance in many areas where there is no right or wrong, but where alternatives have different advantages and disadvantages. He hopes to complete the manuscript within the year. In addition, he continues to study the issues related to universal insurance in the United States and remains especially interested in examining the various state and federal proposals for universal coverage.

Research Interests

  • Health policy issues
  • Issues related to universal health insurance coverage in the U.S.

Current Projects

  • Book of narratives illustrating public policy issues in health care

Select Publications

Basic Books:

  • Economics of Mental Illness, Basic Books, 1958.
  • The Doctor Shortage: An Economic Diagnosis, The Brookings Institution, 1967.
  • Financing Medical Education: An Analysis of Alternative Policies and Mechanisms (with Gerald I. Weber), McGraw Hill, 1971.
  • A Right to Health: The Problem of Access to Primary Medical Care (with Charles Lewis and David Mechanic), John Wiley & Sons, 1976.
  • Employment Impacts of Health Policy Developments (with Christine Bishop), Special Report No.11,
  • National Commission for Manpower Policy, 1976.
  • Alcohol in America: The Price We Pay. California: Care Institute, 1984.
  • Medical Care, Medical Costs: The Search for a Health Insurance Policy, Harvard University Press, 1986, 1989.
  • The Health Care Mess: How We Got Into It and What It Will Take To Get Out (with Julius B. Richmond), Harvard University Press, 2005.