Published Feb. 2, 2021
University of Louisiana Monroe Assistant Professor of Economics Ahmad Reshad Osmani,
Ph.D., of the College of Business and Social Sciences, was recently awarded the West
Cancer Initiative Award and a $5,000 grant for his research proposal.
Osmani’s research is titled, “Racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare services
utilization among uterine cancer survivors: New evidence from pre- and post- Affordable
Care Act of 2010.”
He will examine whether the key element of the 2010 U.S. Affordable Care Act (ACA)
– mandating private health insurers to cover preventative care without cost-sharing
– reduces the racial and ethnic disparities in health services utilization for uterine
cancer survivors.
According to Osmani, the research could inform practice and improve racial, ethnic
minority female population health outcomes, workplace productivity and earnings, and
reduce early retirements.
“The findings of this research project have both practice and policy implications
for health insurance coverage and improving health outcomes of racial and ethnic minority
cancer survivors in the U.S.,” Osmani said. “Any strategic modification of healthcare
systems that aims to lower the racial and ethnic disparity in health service utilization
potentially reduces mortality differentials. From a policy perspective, states that
have not expanded Medicaid should be informed of the contributions of the ACA in reducing
health disparities and potential cost of care.”
The research could lead to increased funding for telehealth services, especially in
light of the COVID-19 pandemic’s disruption of access to health care.
Osmani is the principal investigator with co-principal investigators Albert Okunade,
Ph.D., Professor of Economics, and Ebenezer George, Ph.D., Professor of Mathematics,
both of the University of Memphis.
About Ahmad Reshad Osmani, Ph.D.
Osmani joined ULM in 2020. He is a health economist focused on data-driven research
that can inform public policy and practice. He has analyzed the effects of cancer
on labor market outcomes, studied the impact of race and ethnicity on job market outcomes
of cancer survivors, and examined the influence of supply-side financing on health
care use and quality in developing countries.
Osmani has published his research in leading economics journals, including the Economic Modelling, Applied Economics Letters, Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Economics and Finance, The Review of Black Political Economy. He has presented his work at the American Economic Association, Western Economic
Association International and Midwest Economic Association and International Health
Economics Association annual meetings.
Osmani received his Master’s and a Doctorate in Economics from the University of Memphis.
