Kathleen McGarry

Kathleen McGarry is a Professor of Economics at UCLA and Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). She previously held the position of Professor of Economics at Dartmouth College and served as Senior Economist at the White House. Her research focuses on aging-related economic issues, particularly public and private transfers (including Medicare and SSI programs), family resource-sharing dynamics, and long-term care systems. McGarry holds a Ph.D. from SUNY-Stony Brook and has received fellowships from the Brookdale Foundation and NBER.

Her work examines the financial and health economics of aging, including end-of-life medical expenses, dementia's economic impact, and caregiving's effects on labor markets. Notable research areas include intergenerational transfers, health insurance adequacy, and the role of families in providing economic support. McGarry's analysis spans policy design, market inefficiencies, and demographic trends, with emphasis on vulnerable elderly populations.

Key contributions include studies on long-term care markets, Medicare-Medicaid interactions, and the financial consequences of dementia. Her research often integrates data from longitudinal studies like the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), emphasizing evidence-based policy recommendations. McGarry has also explored gender disparities in caregiving's labor market consequences and the psychological aspects of longevity risk perception.

• Awards: Brookdale Foundation Fellowship, NBER Fellowship
• Key Themes: Elderly financial security, health-care economics, family economics, public program evaluation
• Current Projects: End-of-life medical expenses, nursing home cost dynamics, SSI program efficacy