How does long-term care (LTC) work, who pays for it, and is it financially sustainable? This presentation addresses these questions by mapping the key components of LTC, its formal and informal costs, insurance structures, and payer sources, before examining the looming fiscal pressures suggested by National Health Expenditure projections.
Given the central role of nursing homes in LTC, the talk then turns to recent financial performance trends and emerging industry challenges. Drawing on two recent papers, the presentation investigates how publicly reported quality ratings shape consumer demand and identifies the causal impact of nursing home acquisitions on staffing levels and patient outcomes.
This lecture is free and open to the public. Feel free to attend in person or via Zoom.
✏️The Shepard & Ruth K. Broad Auditorium (FSU Claude Pepper Center Room 116)
📍636 Call Street
📅Tuesday, April 21, 2026
🕒3:30 p.m.
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About Christopher S. Brunt
Dr. Christopher Brunt is the Shirley & Philip Solomons Endowed Chair and a Full Professor of Economics at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia. He is formally trained in health economics and industrial organization, with research interests focused on provider incentives and payment under Medicare Part B, skilled nursing facilities, and the industrial organization of health care. His work primarily examines how regulated price restrictions under Medicare affect provider behavior and how these changes influence access to care, quality, and costs. Dr. Brunt has published in well-respected economics, health services research, and health policy journals, including Health Affairs, Health Economics, Health Services Research, The International Journal of Health Care Finance and Economics, The International Journal of Health Economics and Management, and the Journal of Regulatory Economics.
Dr. Brunt earned his Ph.D. and M.S. in economics from Wayne State University and a B.S. in mathematics and economics from Eastern Michigan University. He joined Georgia Southern University as an assistant professor of economics in 2012, after previously serving as an assistant professor at Lake Superior State University. His research has been presented at numerous academic conferences, including the Southern Economic Association Annual Meetings, the International Industrial Organization Conference, the Midwest Economic Association Annual Meetings, and the AcademyHealth–Health Economics Interest Group. He has received several honors for his scholarship and teaching, including the Health Economics Distinguished Author Award (2016), the William A. Freeman Outstanding Professor of the Year Award (2020), and the Gary M. Davis Excellence in Research Award (2015, 2023).
Ph.D. (Economics), Wayne State University, 2009
M.A. (Economics), Wayne State University, 2006
B.S. (Mathematics And Economics), Eastern Michigan University, 2004
Research Interests
- Health Economics
- Industrial Organization
- Health Policy
- Skilled Nursing Facilities
- Physician Behavior
Learn more:
Georgia Southern University profile
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