Kanimian

Salpy Kanimian

I'm an applied microeconomist at Brown University, where I am a Faculty Fellow in the Department of Health Services, Policy, and Practice in the School of Public Health.

My areas of research are health economics and empirical industrial organization. I combine quasi-experimental methods and structural modeling to study the design and regulation of health insurance markets and other markets, such as workers’ compensation, that combine public oversight with private provision. My current work examines how market structure, insurance design, and government policies affect health care access, affordability, spending, and provider-insurer behavior.

I received my Ph.D. in Economics (concentration in Econometrics and Quantitative Economics) from Rice University in 2026, and a dual bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Economics from the American University of Beirut.

My CV is available here, and I can be reached out at salpy_kanimian@brown.edu or salpy.kanimian@gmail.com

Photo Credits: Kim Keune

PUBLISHED & ACCEPTED PAPERS

Kanimian S., Shakya S. "When a Neighbor Closes: Ownership and Hospital Profits." Eastern Economic Journal, 2026.

Kanimian S., Ho V. "Which Medical Prices are Driving Health Insurance Premium Growth?" JAMA Network Open, 2025.

Anderson D., Beniwal S., Kanimian S. "Changes to ACA Individual Insurance Markets After States Leave Healthcare.gov 2016-2023." INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing. 2025;62.

Kanimian S., Ho V. "Why Does the Cost of Employer Sponsored Coverage Keep Rising?" Health Affairs Scholar, 2024. (4th most-read article, The Best of Health Affairs Scholar 2024)

UNDER REVIEW PAPERS - email for draft

Kanimian S. "Spatial Disparities, Selection, and Segmentation in Health Insurance"

Kanimian S. "Does Reimbursement Matter? Evaluating Medicare Advantage Plan Availability and Penetration"

Beniwal S., Shakya S., Anderson D., Kanimian S. "The Impact of ACA Medicaid Expansion on Appointment Wait Time in Community Health Centers." R&R American Journal of Managed Care.

Kanimian S., Shermeyer A., Hsia R., Miller B., DiGiorgio A. "Incentivizing Quality Through Auto-Assignment: Evidence from California's Medicaid Managed Care Program."

Other Publications

Murtagh, L., Whaley, C., Kosorukov, A., Brown E.F., Kanimian, S., Neubauer, J., Cerna, S. "No Surprises Act: Current Challenges and Future Directions". Center for Advancing Health Policy through Research (CAHPR) Digital Collection. Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library. 2026.

Fisar, M., Greiner, B., Huber, C., Katok, E., Ozkes, A., and the Management Science Reproducibility Collaboration. ”Reproducibility in Management Science”. Management Science, 70 (3), 1343-1356. Note: Member of the Management Science Reproducibility Collaboration.