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. I am also affiliated with the Center for Advancing Health Policy through Research at Brown.

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 in 2019.

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

Upcoming presentations:

Washington Health Economics Symposium
Southeastern Health Economics Study Group Conference (coauthor)
Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management Fall Research Conference
Southern Economic Association Annual Meetings
Florida State University RMI Research Symposium
Midwest Economic Association Annual Meetings (coauthor)

Photo Credits: Kim Keune

PUBLISHED & ACCEPTED PAPERS

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

"Which Medical Prices are Driving Health Insurance Premium Growth?" with Vivian Ho. JAMA Network Open, 2025.

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

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

UNDER REVIEW PAPERS - email for draft

"Spatial Disparities, Selection, and Segmentation in Health Insurance"

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

"The Impact of ACA Medicaid Expansion on Appointment Wait Time in Community Health Centers," with Sukriti Beniwal, Shishir Shakya, and David Anderson. R&R American Journal of Managed Care.

"Incentivizing Quality Through Auto-Assignment: Evidence from California's Medicaid Managed Care Program," with Andrew Shermeyer, Brian Miller, Renee Hsia, and Anthony DiGiorgio.

SELECTED WORK IN PROGRESS - email for draft

“The Impact of Reinsurance on Insurer Behavior and Moral Hazard,” with Maura Coughlin.

"The Welfare Effect of a Public Option in Workers' Compensation Insurance Markets," with Tyler Welch.

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.