Aaron YelowitzApplied economist · University of Kentucky
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Curriculum vitae · September 2026

Aaron Yelowitz

Professor of Economics, University of Kentucky

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Research Fields

  • Public finance, health economics, labor economics, and applied microeconomics.
  • Additional published work addresses housing and real-estate markets, public housing, race and disparities, neighborhood markets, insurance, public programs, occupational licensing, minimum wages, and program evaluation.

Education

  • Ph.D., Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1994.
  • B.A., Business Economics, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1990 (High Honors).

Academic Appointments

  • Professor, Department of Economics, University of Kentucky, July 2018-present; joint appointment with the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration.
  • Associate Professor, Department of Economics, University of Kentucky, 2001-2018.
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, University of California, Los Angeles, 1994-2001.

Current Professional Appointments and Affiliations

  • Editorial Board, Journal of Labor Research, 2016-present.
  • Editorial Advisory Board, Public Finance Review, 2020-present.
  • Research Fellow, IZA@LISER Network, January 2021-present.
  • Senior Fellow, Cato Institute, 2017-present.
  • Member, Poverty, Tax, and Transfer Policies Research Network, Institute for Research on Poverty, 2018-present.
  • Faculty Affiliate, Institute for the Study of Free Enterprise, University of Kentucky, July 2019-present.
  • Affiliate, Center for Health Services Research, University of Kentucky, 2016-present.
  • Faculty Affiliate, University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research, 2002-present.

Prior Professional Appointments and Affiliations

  • Editorial Review Board, Inquiry, 2017-2025.
  • Editorial Board and Associate Editor, Public Finance Review, 2017-2020.
  • Director, Institute for the Study of Free Enterprise, University of Kentucky, July 2017-July 2019.
  • Associate Director, Institute for the Study of Free Enterprise, University of Kentucky, July 2016-June 2017.
  • Adjunct Scholar, Cato Institute, 2008-2017.
  • Affiliated Faculty, Institute for Pharmaceutical Outcomes & Policy, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky.
  • Associate Editor, Journal of Public Economics, 2004-2006.
  • Department Liaison, University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research, 2002-2005.
  • Faculty Affiliate, Joint Center for Poverty Research (Chicago-Northwestern); previously Research Affiliate.
  • Research Associate, Program on Children, and Faculty Research Fellow, Programs on Children and Public Economics, National Bureau of Economic Research.
  • Research Associate, Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
  • Consultant, RAND Corporation.

Peer-Reviewed Publications

  1. Hoyt, W., Taulbee, L., and Yelowitz, A. "Anticipated Property Tax Increases and the Timing of Home Sales: Evidence from Administrative Data." Public Budgeting & Finance, Winter 2024, 44(4): 114-146. View record
  2. Yelowitz, A., and Ingram, S. J. "How Does Occupational Licensing Affect Entry into the Medical Field? An Examination of Emergency Medical Technicians." Southern Economic Journal, July 2024, 91(1): 38-61. View record
  3. Harris, T., Yelowitz, A., Talbert, J., and Davis, A., "Adverse Selection in the Group Life Insurance Market," Economic Inquiry, October 2023, 61(4): 911-941. View record
  4. Beck, J., Scott, F., and Yelowitz, A. "The Impact of Real Estate Agent Specialization and Activity Level on Market Outcomes." Journal of Housing Research, 2022, 31(2): 163-180. View record
  5. Courtemanche, C., Fazlul, I., Marton, J., Ukert, B., Yelowitz, A., and Zapata, D. "The Affordable Care Act's Coverage Impacts in the Trump Era," Inquiry, 2021, 58: 1-24. View record
  6. Ingram, S.J. and Yelowitz, A. "Real Estate Agent Dynamism and Licensing Entry Barriers," Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy, July 2021, 10(2): 156-174. View record
  7. Harris, T., Yelowitz, A., and Courtemanche, C. "Did COVID-19 Change Life Insurance Offerings?" Journal of Risk and Insurance, December 2021, 88(4), 831-861. View record
  8. Courtemanche, C., Garuccio, J., Le, A., Pinkston, J., and Yelowitz, A. "Chance Elections, Social Distancing Restrictions, and Kentucky's Early COVID-19 Experience." PLoS ONE, July 2021, 16(7): e0250152. View record
  9. Bollinger, C. and Yelowitz, A. "Targeting Intensive Job Assistance to Ex-Offenders by the Nature of Offense: Results from a Randomized Control Trial," Economic Inquiry, July 2021, 59(3), 1308-1327. View record
  10. Benitez, J., Courtemanche, C., and Yelowitz, A., "Racial and Ethnic Disparities in COVID-19: Evidence from Six Large Cities," Journal of Economics, Race, and Policy, December 2020, 3(4): 243-261. View record
  11. Courtemanche, C., Marton, J., Ukert, B., Yelowitz, A., and Zapata, D., "The Impact of the ACA on Health Care Access and Self- Assessed Health in the Trump Era (2017-2018)," Health Services Research, October 2020, 55(S2), 841-850. View record
  12. Courtemanche, C., Garuccio, J., Le, A., Pinkston, J., and Yelowitz, A., "Strong Social Distancing Measures in the United States Reduced the COVID-19 Growth Rate," Health Affairs, July 2020, 39(7), 1237-1246. View record
  13. Courtemanche, C., Marton, J. and Yelowitz, A. "The Full Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Political Participation." RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, July 2020, 6(2), 179-204. View record
  14. Courtemanche, C., Marton, J., Ukert, B., Yelowitz, A., Zapata, D., and Fazlul, I. "The Three-Year Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Disparities in Insurance Coverage," Health Services Research, February 2019, 54(S1): 307-316. View record
  15. Courtemanche, C., Marton, J., Ukert, B., Yelowitz, A., and Zapata, D., "Effects of the Affordable Care Act on Health Behaviors after 3 Years," Eastern Economic Journal, January 2019, 45(1): 7-33. View record
  16. Courtemanche, C., Marton, J., Ukert, B., Yelowitz, A., and Zapata, D. "Effects of the Affordable Care Act on Health Care Access and Self-Assessed Health after 3 Years," Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision and Financing, 2018, 55: 1-10. View record
  17. Harris, T., Troske, K., and Yelowitz, A. "How Will State-Run Auto-IRAs Affect Workers?" The Journal of Retirement, Fall 2018, 6(2): 27-33. View record
  18. Harris, T. and Yelowitz, A., "Life Insurance Holdings and Well-Being of Surviving Spouses," Contemporary Economic Policy, July 2018, 36(3): 526-538. View record
  19. Harris, T. and Yelowitz, A., "Racial Climate and Homeownership," Journal of Housing Economics, June 2018, 40: 41-72. View record
  20. Courtemanche, C., Marton, J., Ukert, B., Yelowitz, A., and Zapata, D., "Early Effects of the Affordable Care Act on Health Care Access, Risky Health Behaviors, and Self-Assessed Health," Southern Economic Journal, January 2018, 84(3): 660-691. View record
  21. Apostolova-Mihaylova, M. and Yelowitz, A., "Health Insurance, Fertility, and the Wantedness of Pregnancies: Evidence from Massachusetts," Contemporary Economic Policy, January 2018, 36(1): 59-72. View record
  22. Harris, T. and Yelowitz, A., "Racial Disparities in Life Insurance Coverage," Applied Economics, 2018, 50(1): 94-107. View record
  23. Marton, J., Yelowitz, A., and Talbert, J., "Medicaid Program Choice, Inertia and Adverse Selection," Journal of Health Economics, 2017, 56(1): 292-316. View record
  24. Palmer, M., Marton, J., Yelowitz, A. and Talbert, J., "Medicaid Managed Care and the Health Care Utilization of Foster Children," Inquiry, 2017, 54: 1-9. View record
  25. Yelowitz, A. "Local Housing Costs and Basic Household Needs." Empirical Economics 52(3) (2017): 901-923. View record
  26. Harris, T. and Yelowitz, A., "Nudging Life Insurance Holdings in the Workplace," Economic Inquiry, 2017, 55(2): 951-981. View record
  27. Courtemanche, C., Marton, J., Ukert, B., Yelowitz, A., and Zapata, D., "Early Impacts of the Affordable Care Act on Health Insurance Coverage in Medicaid Expansion and Non-Expansion States," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 2017, 36(1): 178-210. View record
  28. Courtemanche, C., Marton, J., and Yelowitz, A., "Who Gained Insurance Coverage in 2014, the First Year of Full ACA Implementation?" Health Economics, 2016, 25(6): 778-784. View record
  29. Marton, J., Yelowitz, A., Shores, M., and Talbert, J. "Does Medicaid Managed Care Help Equalize Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Utilization?" Health Services Research, 2016, 51(3): 872-891. View record
  30. Ahn, T. and Yelowitz, A., "The Short-Run Impacts of Connecticut's Paid Sick Leave Legislation," Applied Economics Letters, 2015, 22(15): 1267-1272. View record
  31. Yelowitz, A. and Wilson, M., "Characteristics of Bitcoin Users: An Analysis of Google Search Data," Applied Economics Letters, 2015, 22(13): 1030-1036. View record
  32. Marton, J., and Yelowitz, A. "Health Insurance Generosity and Conditional Coverage: Evidence from Medicaid Managed Care in Kentucky." Southern Economic Journal, October 2015, 82(2): 535-555. View record
  33. Harris, T. and Yelowitz, A., "Is There Adverse Selection in the Life Insurance Market? Evidence from a Representative Sample of Purchasers," Economics Letters, September 2014, 124(3): 520-522. View record
  34. Marton, J., Yelowitz, A., and Talbert, J. "A Tale of Two Cities? The Heterogeneous Impact of Medicaid Managed Care." Journal of Health Economics, July 2014, 36(1): 47-68. View record
  35. Yelowitz, A., Scott, F., and Beck, J. "The Market for Real Estate Brokerage Services in Low- and High-Income Neighborhoods: A Six-City Study." Cityscape: A Journal of Policy Development and Research, March 2013, 15(1): 261-292. View record
  36. Beck, J., Scott, F., and Yelowitz, A. "Concentration and Market Structure in Local Real Estate Markets." Real Estate Economics, Fall 2012, 40(3): 422-460. View record
  37. Scott, F. and Yelowitz, A., "Pricing Anomalies in the Market for Diamonds: Evidence of Conformist Behavior," Economic Inquiry, April 2010, 48(2): 353-368. View record
  38. Toikka, R., Yelowitz, A. and Neveu, A., "The 'Poverty Trap' and Living Wage Laws," Economic Development Quarterly, February 2005, 19(1): 62-79. View record
  39. Baumann, R., Ryan, M., and Yelowitz, A. "Physician Preference for Antiepileptic Drug Concentration Testing." Pediatric Neurology 30(1) (January 2004): 29-32. View record
  40. Yelowitz, A., "Using the Medicare Buy-In Program to Estimate the Effect of Medicaid on SSI Participation," Economic Inquiry, July 2000, 38(3): 419-441. View record
  41. Yelowitz, A., "Public Policy and Health Insurance Choices of the Elderly: Evidence from the Medicare Buy-In Program," Journal of Public Economics, November 2000, 78(3): 301-324. View record
  42. Currie, J. and Yelowitz, A., "Are Public Housing Projects Good for Kids?" Journal of Public Economics, January 2000, 75(1): 99-124. View record
  43. Gruber, J. and Yelowitz, A., "Public Health Insurance and Private Savings," Journal of Political Economy, December 1999, 107(6): 1249-1274. View record
  44. Yelowitz, A., "Will Extending Medicaid to Two Parent Families Encourage Marriage?" The Journal of Human Resources, Fall 1998, 33(4): 833-865. View record
  45. Yelowitz, A. "Why Did the SSI-Disabled Program Grow So Much? Disentangling the Effect of Medicaid." Journal of Health Economics, June 1998, 17(3): 321-350. View record
  46. Yelowitz, A., "The Medicaid Notch, Labor Supply and Welfare Participation: Evidence from Eligibility Expansions," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, November 1995, 110(4): 909-939. View record

Chapters in Books

  1. Benitez, J., Courtemanche, C., and Yelowitz, A. "Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities During the COVID-19 Pandemic." In Handbook on Inequality and COVID-19, edited by K. A. Couch, 105-118. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2025. View record
  2. Yelowitz, A. "Should We Trust Consumers or Bureaucrats with Health Insurance Choices?" Ch. 10 in Challenges in Classical Liberalism, eds. Alice L. Kassens and Joshua C. Hall. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham., 2023. View record
  3. Courtemanche, C., Marton, J., and Yelowitz, A. "Medicaid Coverage Across the Income Distribution Under the Affordable Care Act" Ch. 8 in Medicaid: Politics, Policy, and Key Issues, ed. Daniel Lanford. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers, 2020, 211-257. View record
  4. Courtemanche, C., Fazlul, I., Marton, J., Ukert, B., Yelowitz, A., and Zapata, D. "The Impact of the ACA on Insurance Coverage Disparities after Four Years" Ch. 2 in Medicaid: Politics, Policy, and Key Issues, ed. Daniel Lanford. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers, 2020, 21-52. View record
  5. Yelowitz, A., "Evaluating Cities' Experiences with Local Minimum Wages" In Fighting for $15? An Evaluation of the Evidence and a Case for Caution, Washington, DC: Employment Policies Institute, 2019. View record
  6. Yelowitz, A. "Young Adults Leaving the Nest: The Role of the Cost of Living." In The Price of Independence, edited by Sheldon Danziger and Cecilia Rouse, 170-206. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2007. View record
  7. Currie, J., and Yelowitz, A. "Health Insurance and Less Skilled Workers." In Finding Jobs: Work and Welfare Reform, edited by David Card and Rebecca Blank, 233-261. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2000. View record
  8. Yelowitz, A., "The Impact of Health Care Costs and Medicaid on SSI Participation," in Growth in Disability Benefits: Explanations and Policy Implications, Kalman Rupp and David C. Stapleton (eds.), Kalamazoo, Michigan: W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, 1998. View record

Policy Papers and Research Reports

  1. Yelowitz, A., "Predictive Scheduling Laws Do Not Promote Full-Time Work", Institute for the Study of Free Enterprise Working Paper 46, Lexington, KY, January 2022. View record
  2. Blase, B.C., and Yelowitz, A., "The ACA's Medicaid Expansion: A Review of Ineligible Enrollees and Improper Payments." Mercatus Research, Mercatus Center at George Mason University, Arlington, VA, November 2019. View record
  3. Yelowitz, A. "Improper Medicaid Enrollment Following ACA Expansion." Health Affairs Forefront, November 15, 2019. View record
  4. Courtemanche, C., Marton, J., Ukert, B., Yelowitz, A. and Zapata, D., "Early Effects of the Affordable Care Act on Health Care Access, Risky Health Behaviors, and Self-Assessed Health", Cato Institute Research Briefs in Economic Policy, April 2018. View record
  5. Yelowitz, A., "How Did the ACA Affect Health Insurance Coverage in Kentucky?" Institute for the Study of Free Enterprise (then the John H. Schnatter Institute), University of Kentucky, September 2016. View record
  6. Yelowitz, A. and Corder, L., "Weighing Priorities for Part-Time Workers: An Early Evaluation of San Francisco's Formula Retail Scheduling Ordinance", Employment Policies Institute, May 2016. View record
  7. Yelowitz, A., "Menu Mandates and Obesity: A Futile Effort", Cato Institute, April 2016. View record
  8. Corder, L. and Yelowitz, A., "Fairness vs. Flexibility: An Evaluation of the District of Columbia's Proposed Scheduling Regulations", Employment Policies Institute, March 2016. View record
  9. Yelowitz, A. "The Impact of a $15 Minimum Wage in Unincorporated Los Angeles County: Empirical Analysis." Employment Policies Institute, July 2015. View record
  10. Yelowitz, A. and Bollinger, C., "Prison-To-Work: The Benefits of Intensive Job-Search Assistance for Former Inmates," Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, Civic Report No. 96, March 2015. View record
  11. Yelowitz, A., "The Labor Market Effects of Citywide Compensation Floors: Evidence from San Francisco and Other 'Superstar' Cities", Employment Policies Institute, October 2012. View record
  12. Yelowitz, A., and Cannon, M., "The Massachusetts Health Plan: Much Pain, Little Gain," Cato Policy Analysis, 657, January 19, 2010. Reprinted in Replacing ObamaCare: The Cato Institute on Health Care Reform, Michael D. Tanner and Michael F. Cannon (eds.), Cato Institute, ISBN 9781938048869. View record
  13. Yelowitz, A., "ObamaCare: A Bad Deal for Young Adults," Cato Briefing Paper, 115, November 5, 2009. View record
  14. Yelowitz, A., "Kentucky Health Insurance Coverage, 2002-2006: A Complicated Picture", Kentucky Annual Economic Report, 2008, p. 29-35. View record
  15. Troske, K. and Yelowitz, A., "The Minimum Wage and Kentucky's Working Poor: Low Hours or Low Wages?" Kentucky Annual Economic Report, 2007, 35-44. View record
  16. Troske, K. and Yelowitz, A., "The Impact of Missouri's Proposed $6.50 Minimum Wage on the Labor Market", Show Me Institute, October 2006. View record
  17. Yelowitz, A., "Pay-or-Play Health Insurance Mandates: Lessons from California," California Economic Policy (Public Policy Institute of California), October 2006. View record
  18. Yelowitz, A. “The Fair Share for Health Care Act and New York’s Labor Market.” Employment Policies Institute, April 2006. View record
  19. Yelowitz, A., "How Did the $8.50 Citywide Minimum Wage Affect the Santa Fe Labor Market? A Comprehensive Examination," Employment Policies Institute, December 2005. View record
  20. Yelowitz, A., "Santa Fe's Living Wage Ordinance and the Labor Market," Employment Policies Institute, September 2005. View record
  21. Yelowitz, A. and Toikka, R., "Effective Tax Rates and the Living Wage", Employment Policies Institute, May 2005. View record
  22. Yelowitz, A., "The Economic Impact of Proposition 72 on California Employers," Employment Policies Institute, September 2004. View record
  23. Yelowitz, A., "The Cost of California's Health Insurance Act of 2003," Employment Policies Institute, October 2003. View record
  24. Yelowitz, A., "Evaluating the Effects of Medicaid on Welfare and Work: Evidence from the Past Decade," Employment Policies Institute, December 2000. View record

Other Publications

  1. Courtemanche, C., Sommers, B. D., and Yelowitz, A., "Evidence on U.S. School Closures and COVID-19 Spread Is Inconclusive." Online comment on Auger et al., JAMA, August 13, 2020. View record
  2. Yelowitz, A., "PowerPoint Presentation to accompany Public Finance, Seventh Edition, by Harvey S. Rosen," Copyright 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. ISBN #0-07-302392-2. View record
  3. Yelowitz, A., "Instructor's Manual to accompany Public Finance, Seventh Edition, by Harvey S. Rosen," Copyright 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. View record

Sponsored Research, Fellowships, and Grants

  • 2016-2018: KY Cabinet for Health and Family Services, "Research, Data Analytics, & Measurement of Program Outcomes: 1115 Waiver" (Co-Investigator; total project award: $1,274,206).
  • 2016-2018: KY Cabinet for Health and Family Services, "Research, Data Analytics, & Measurement of Program Outcomes (Analytical Support) 2017-2018" (Co-Investigator; total project award: $494,179).
  • 2012-2014: Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, "The Impact of Intensive Job Search Assistance Outcomes of Former Inmates" (Principal Investigator; total project award: $109,100).
  • 2005-2006: Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, "Access to Health Care Initiative: The Uninsured and Underinsured in Kentucky: Who Are They, and What Can Be Done" (Principal Investigator; total project award: $47,500).
  • 2003: Department of Health and Human Services, "Kentucky Center for Poverty Research: Evaluating the Impact of Medicaid Managed Care in Kentucky" (Principal Investigator; total project award: $16,408).
  • 2002-2005: Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, "Understanding the Consequences of Public Housing on Children" (Principal Investigator; total project award: $20,000).
  • 2002-2004: University of Michigan, "Medicaid and Work Decisions of Married Women" (Principal Investigator; total project award: $44,686).
  • 2002: National Academy of Sciences, "Income Variability and WIC Eligibility: Evidence from the SIPP" (total project award: $2,500).
  • 1994-2001: UCLA Academic Senate Grant (annual award: $2,500-$5,000).
  • 1999: Employment Policies Institute, "Evaluating the Effects of Medicaid on Welfare and Work: Evidence from the Past Decade" (total project award: $10,000).
  • 1998: Social Security Administration, "Demographics, Public Policy, and SSI Participation: The Roles of SSI Benefits, Medicaid, and AFDC" (total project award: $3,000).
  • 1997-1998: Joint Center for Poverty Research Small Grants Program, "Public Housing and Labor Supply" (total project award: $20,000).
  • 1996-1997: NBER Aging and Health Fellowship (individual fellowship: $50,000).
  • 1996: UCLA Institute of Industrial Relations (total project award: $2,000).
  • 1995-1996: UCLA Center for the Study of Women (total project award: $1,500).
  • 1995-1996: Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, "Did Recent Medicaid Reforms Cause the Caseload Explosion in the Food Stamp Program?" (total project award: $15,000).
  • 1993-1994: National Institute on Aging graduate fellowship.

Expert Witness and Litigation Consulting

  • LDG Multifamily, LLC and Realty Management Group, LLC v. City of Prospect, Kentucky, Jefferson Circuit Court, Division 13, No. 17- CI-006262. Expert economist retained on behalf of municipal defendants; demographic, affordable-housing, residential-segregation, Census, and HUD analysis concerning a proposed senior Low-Income Housing Tax Credit development. Deposition testimony, February 20, 2026.
  • Casey William Hyland, Graham Pullen, and Christopher R. Burnette v. HomeServices of America, Inc., et al., U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, No. 3:05-CV-612-R (2012). Research support to defense expert Dr. Frank Scott concerning real-estate brokerage and market analysis.
  • Commonwealth of Kentucky v. Alpharma, Inc. and Purepac Pharmaceutical Co., In re Pharmaceutical Industry Average Wholesale Price Litigation, Franklin Circuit Court, No. 04-CI-1487 (2010). Expert witness for defendants concerning economic issues in pharmaceutical average-wholesale-price litigation. Deposition testimony, December 1, 2010.
  • New Mexicans for Free Enterprise et al. v. City of Santa Fe, First Judicial District Court, Santa Fe County, New Mexico, No. D-101- DV-2003-00468 (2004). Expert witness for plaintiffs concerning the economic effects of Santa Fe's living-wage ordinance. Trial testimony, April 16, 2004.

Governmental, Legislative, and Commission Testimony

  • U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, March 16, 2022. Testimony at the hearing 'Small Business Franchising: An Overview of the Industry, SBA's Role, and Legislative Proposals,' concerning franchising in labor markets and lending.
  • Pennsylvania House of Representatives State Government Committee, October 26, 2022. Testimony at the hearing 'Improper Payments and Government Waste,' concerning improper enrollment in Pennsylvania's Medicaid program.
  • Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, July 20, 2015. Written testimony, 'Extending the Minimum Wage to Unincorporated Areas of Los Angeles.'
  • Louisville Metro Council, Labor and Economic Development Committee, October 30, 2014. Testimony on Ordinance O-470-14 concerning a citywide minimum wage; written responses to committee questions submitted November 3, 2014.
  • Atlanta Living Wage Ordinance Independent Review Commission, public meeting, January 23, 2004. Commission testimony, "Do Living Wages Accomplish Their Intended Purpose?"

Selected Invited Seminars and Presentations

  • Midwest Institutes Conference, May 16, 2023. Opening plenary address, “Occupational Licensing and Entry into the Medical Field.” Institute for the Study of Political Economy, Ball State University, Fishers, Indiana; co-sponsored by the Indianapolis Bastiat Society.
  • Lexington Employee Benefits Council, May 19, 2004. Keynote address, "Attacking the Health Care Monster: Hard Decisions Ahead for Our Society," at The Healthcare Cost Crisis and What to Do About It.
  • U.S. Chamber of Commerce, "Living Wage: What Business Groups Need to Know," February 20, 2004. Policy presentation, "Do Living Wages Accomplish Their Intended Purpose?"
  • Selected seminar and presentation venues include MIT, Harvard, Brown, Duke, the University of Chicago, the University of Michigan, Yale, NBER, RAND, the Institute for Research on Poverty, PPIC, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, the National Academy of Sciences, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Social Security Administration, the Urban Institute, Mathematica, the Cato Institute, the Heritage Foundation, and the Manhattan Institute.

Teaching

  • University of Kentucky: graduate public finance; graduate health economics; undergraduate public finance; economics of poverty; labor economics; health economics; housing economics; and intermediate microeconomics.

Doctoral Dissertation Chair and Co-Chair Roles

  • Marissa Hartsoe (Co-Chair, in progress).
  • Darby Todd (Co-Chair, in progress).
  • Andres Mira (Co-Chair, defended); initial placement: Economist, U.S. Census Bureau.
  • Katherine Toran (Chair, defended July 17, 2019); initial placement: Staff Fellow, U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
  • Timothy Harris (Chair, defended April 6, 2017); initial placement: Assistant Professor of Economics, Illinois State University.
  • Chelsea Dowell (Co-Chair, defended); initial placement: Assistant Professor of Economics, Upper Iowa University.
  • David Yaskewich (Chair, defended December 31, 2012); initial placement: Assistant Professor of Economics, Southeast Missouri State University.
  • Jason Beck (Co-Chair, defended July 28, 2009); initial placement: Assistant Professor of Economics, Armstrong Atlantic State University.
  • Attila Cseh (Chair, defended July 25, 2006); initial placement: Valdosta State University.
  • Christopher Clark (Chair, defended June 29, 2005); initial placement: Georgia College & State University.

Selected University and Professional Service

  • 2020-2022: Member, Gatton College Faculty Council, University of Kentucky.
  • National Tax Association Dissertation Award Committee, 2008-2015.
  • Director of Graduate Studies, 2012-2014.
  • University of Kentucky Academic Senate, 2011-2014.
  • Selected referee and review service: American Economic Review; Quarterly Journal of Economics; Journal of Political Economy; Journal of Public Economics; Journal of Human Resources; Journal of Labor Economics; Journal of Health Economics; Health Affairs; Review of Economics and Statistics; National Science Foundation; U.S. Department of Agriculture; and Public Policy Institute of California.

Selected Research Impact and Policy Translation

  • The May 2021 NBER Working Paper "School Reopenings, Mobility, and COVID-19 Spread: Evidence from Texas" received national attention; it estimated that the return to in-person learning produced at least 43,000 additional COVID-19 cases and 800 deaths during the first two months.
  • "Strong Social Distancing Measures in the United States Reduced the COVID-19 Growth Rate" was Health Affairs' third most-read article of 2020; it was covered by 135 news organizations and ranked No. 42 across all disciplines and No. 3 in economics in Altmetric's 2020 list.
  • The November 2019 NBER Digest featured "Assessing the ACA's Impact on Insurance Coverage, 4 Years On," a nontechnical summary of research by Courtemanche, Fazlul, Marton, Ukert, Yelowitz, and Zapata finding substantial reductions in insurance-coverage disparities after the ACA.
  • A 2019 Council of Economic Advisers study on deregulating health-insurance markets cited "Early Impacts of the Affordable Care Act on Health Insurance Coverage in Medicaid Expansion and Non-Expansion States," published in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management in 2017.
  • White House, Council of Economic Advisers, and National Economic Council analyses in 1993, 1997, and 1999 discussed or cited Yelowitz's research on Medicaid and work incentives.
  • The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, acknowledged Yelowitz for providing the Medicaid-expansion variable used in its AFDC caseload analysis.

Selected National Media and Public Engagement

  • The Hill, February 19, 2022, "Fair Schedule laws fail to deliver for full-time workers" (op-ed)
  • The Hill, August 2, 2021, "Myth vs. reality in franchising" (op-ed)
  • Wall Street Journal, June 25, 2021, "Covid Isn't Done Changing the Life Insurance Industry Just Yet" (quoted/research coverage)
  • Vox, June 3, 2021, "California mandated masks. Florida opened its restaurants. Did any of it matter?" (quoted/research coverage)
  • IZA World of Labor, February 8, 2021, "The Impact of COVID-19 on the Life Insurance Market Was Minimal" (coauthored opinion)
  • Wall Street Journal, October 18, 2020, "With Fewer Covid-19 Restrictions, South's Economy Outperforms the Nation" (quoted/research coverage)
  • CNN, May 18, 2020, "Coronavirus Crisis" (television interview)
  • Vox, May 18, 2020, "Lockdowns worked. Now what?" (quoted/research coverage)
  • New York Times, May 16, 2020, "Coronavirus Cases Slow in U.S., but the Big Picture Remains Tenuous." (quoted/research coverage)
  • The Hill, May 15, 2020, "Areas that fail to social distance face 35 times more virus cases, study suggests" (quoted/research coverage)
  • Washington Post, May 15, 2020, "Places without social distancing have 35 times more potential coronavirus spread, study finds" (quoted/research coverage)
  • Wall Street Journal, March 12, 2020, "Paid Sick Leave is a Failed Cure" (op-ed)
  • National Public Radio, January 24, 2020, "Medicaid Expansion Costs Hit New York - And Other States Are Watching" (radio interview)
  • Wall Street Journal, November 19, 2019, "Why Obama Stopped Auditing Medicaid" (op-ed)
  • Wall Street Journal, September 11, 2019, "How to Think About Health Coverage" (editorial-board discussion of research)
  • Wall Street Journal, August 15, 2019, "ObamaCare's Medicaid Deception" (op-ed)
  • New York Times, March 29, 2017, "Is Obamacare a Lifesaver?" (research coverage)
  • National Public Radio, November 19, 2016, "In Depressed Rural Kentucky, Worries Mount Over Medicaid Cutbacks" (radio interview)
  • Washington Post, March 23, 2016, "Do D.C. Part-Timers Value Fairness over Flexibility?" (quoted/research coverage)
  • CNBC "Street Signs" appearance discussing the Santa Fe living-wage ordinance, July 27, 2006. (television appearance)

Selected Kentucky Media and Public Engagement

  • KET Kentucky Tonight, July 25, 2022, "Work, Wages and Welfare" (television panel)
  • WKYT, May 12, 2021, "Sam Dick interviews UK researcher Dr. Aaron Yelowitz" (television interview)
  • KET Kentucky Tonight, May 11, 2020, "Restarting Kentucky's Economy" (television panel)
  • WKYT, Lexington, April 29, 2020, "UK Professors Study Impact of Social Distancing" (television interview/research coverage)
  • LEX18, Lexington, April 29, 2020, "New Study Shows Thousands of Kentuckians Spared Thanks to Social Distancing" (television interview/research coverage)
  • Lexington Herald-Leader, April 29, 2020, "New UK Study Backs Up KY Policy: Health at Home Has Saved 2,000 Lives in State So Far" (quoted/commentary)
  • KET Kentucky Tonight, August 26, 2019, "Public Assistance and Government Welfare Programs" (television panel)
  • WFPL 89.3, April 23, 2017, "Louisville Home Values Go Up As Inventory Falls, But Is It A Bubble?" (radio interview)
  • Lexington Herald-Leader, November 10, 2017, "UK economics institute supports serious debate." (quoted/commentary)
  • Lexington Herald-Leader, May 4, 2017, "Kentucky Health Insurance Market in Death Spiral" (quoted/commentary)
  • WKYT, Lexington, October 13, 2017, "Trump Order Will Leave Thousands of Kentuckians Without Insurance Help" (television interview/research coverage)
  • WKYT/CW, Lexington, May 9, 2017, "The Impact of the AHCA" (television interview/research coverage)
  • WKYT, Lexington, January 11, 2017, "How Will Trump's Economic Policies Affect the Pocketbooks of Kentuckians?" (television interview/research coverage)
  • KET Kentucky Tonight, September 19, 2016, "Forecasting the U.S. Economy" (television panel)