Tatiane Santos, PhD, MPH

Dr. Santos' research program is organized around two complementary and mutually reinforcing areas of inquiry. The first examines hospital accountability and the role of hospitals in promoting access to care, financial protection, and community wellbeing. This line of research focuses on not-for-profit hospital community benefit obligations, financial assistance policies and medical debt, hospital prices, and governance. Through this work, she seeks to understand whether hospitals are fulfilling their public obligations and how policy interventions can improve accountability, reduce financial burden for patients, and promote effective investment in community health.

The second area of inquiry focuses on Medicaid and insurance coverage disruptions and their implications for healthcare access, health outcomes, and financial wellbeing. Insurance instability remains a persistent challenge in the United States, particularly among low-income populations and individuals with complex health needs. Dr. Santos' research examines how transitions between Medicaid, Marketplace, uninsurance, and other forms of insurance coverage influence healthcare utilization, continuity of care, mortality, and financial outcomes. Recent work-in-progress focuses on the consequences of Medicaid disenrollment and Medicaid-to-private insurance transitions among vulnerable populations, including individuals diagnosed with opioid use disorder and cancer.

Visit her community benefit research website for more information.