In a recent New York Times op-ed, UW graduate student Ryan Cummings, a former economist at the White House Council of Economic Advisers, alongside Brian Deese and Jonathan Gruber from M.I.T., discusses the fiscal and healthcare implications of revolutionary weight-loss drugs. Highlighting the potential of these drugs to address America's obesity epidemic, the authors underscore their staggering costs and the necessity of addressing the affordability issue promptly. The authors emphasize the urgency of finding a balance between pharmaceutical innovation and fiscal responsibility, advocating for measures to negotiate drug prices to align with their social benefits.
Additionally, Cummings was cited in a different article in the NYT’s “The Morning” examining the U.S. energy boom. The data he produced while a White House junior economist was recreated to demonstrate these record energy productions.
Cummings is currently visiting Stanford University.
Recently, Graduate student Ryan Cummings has been featured in two recent articles by major publications. On May 7, 2024, The New York Times highlighted Cummings’ co-authored report with Neale Mahoney and Giacomo Fraccaroli titled “Bad News Bias in Gasoline Price Coverage.” The report, published on Briefing Book, reveals a significant bias in TV news coverage, showing more frequent reports on high gas prices than on low ones. Subsequently, on May 9, 2024, the Financial Times discussed the same report, noting the trio's analysis of one million transcripts from six US broadcasters and the evident negativity bias in petrol price reporting.