Autonomy and Aging Policy: Leveraging Behavioral Economics to Empower Early Decisions

July 23, 2025
12:45 pm-

1:30 pm

The earlier we plan, the better we age. But too often, essential conversations about caregiving, long-term care, and serious illness happen too late. This panel brings together leading experts, including first-hand perspective from a solo ager, to explore how behavioral economics, policy innovation, and health system design can inform policies that help individuals make key choices before options narrow. This discussion will offer actionable insights for policy leaders seeking to promote autonomy, reduce downstream costs, and strengthen support for an aging population.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

  • Understand key behavioral economics principles that influence aging-related decision making.
  • Recognize how policy can promote early planning for aging, caregiving, and long-term care.
  • Gain a deeper understanding of behavioral economics.
  • Appreciate unique challenges faced by solo agers and other underrepresented groups in aging planning.
  • Explore opportunities for federal programs and health systems to empower people to age with greater dignity, autonomy, and control.

Speakers

  • David Grabowski, Ph.D., Professor, Harvard Medical School (Moderator)
  • Joseph Antos, Ph.D., M.A., Senior Fellow and Wilson H. Taylor Scholar in Health Care and Retirement Policy,
  • Aparna Mathur, Ph.D., Senior Manager, Economic Policy, Amazon
  • Sara Zeff Geber, MA, Ph.D., Certified Retirement Coach, Speaker, Author, and Consultant, LifeEncore

Speakers

David Grabowski, Ph.D.

Professor of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School
David C. Grabowski, PhD, is a professor of health care policy in the Department of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School. His research examines the economics of aging with a particular interest in the areas of long-term care and post-acute care. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine. He has published over 275 articles in leading peer-reviewed journals of economics, health policy, and medicine. He has testified to Congress on seven separate occasions. From 2017 through 2023, Dr. Grabowski was a member of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), which is an independent agency established to advise the U.S. Congress on issues affecting the Medicare program. He has also served on several CMS technical expert panels. During the pandemic, he served on the CMS Nursing Home Coronavirus Commission. He was also a member of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Committee on the Quality of Care in Nursing Homes.

Joseph Antos, Ph.D.

Senior Fellow Emeritus, American Enterprise Institute
Joseph Antos is Senior Fellow Emeritus at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). His work focuses on the economics of health policy, including Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, private insurance, and overall reform of the health care system. He is an adjunct associate professor of emergency medicine at the George Washington University, and recently completed four terms on the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission. Before joining AEI, Antos was assistant director for health and human resources at the Congressional Budget Office. He also held senior positions in the US Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of Management and Budget, and the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. Antos has been published in academic journals and the popular press, including Health Affairs, the Journal of the American Medical Association, the New England Journal of Medicine, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. He has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Rochester.

Aparna Mathur, Ph.D.

Senior Manager, Economic Policy, Amazon
Aparna Mathur is a Senior Research Manager in Economics at Amazon. In this role, she tracks and conducts research to help identify labor and employment related challenges faced by Amazon’s domestic and global workforce, with a view to informing best policy. She is a former Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Mossavar-Rahmani Center where she researches social safety net issues, and a Visiting Fellow at FREOPP. Prior to Amazon, she spent a year as a Senior Economist at the Council of Economic Advisers. She joined the Council as part of the COVID-19 response task force at the peak of the crisis in April 2020 and worked with epidemiologists on the health aspects of the crisis, while also tracking the economic downturn that came with the lockdowns. Prior to joining CEA, she was a resident scholar in economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.

Sara Zeff Geber, MA, Ph.D.

Speaker, Author, and Consultant, LifeEncore
Sara Zeff Geber, PhD, is the nation’s foremost expert on Solo Aging. She is an author, professional speaker, and certified retirement coach. In 2018, Sara was named an “Influencer in Aging” by PBS’ Next Avenue and is a regular contributor to Forbes.com in the areas of aging and retirement. She has also been featured and quoted in The Journal of Active Aging, Generations (ASA Journal), Certified Senior Advisor Journal, Next Avenue, Senior Living Foresight, McKnights Living, Senior Housing Business, and many others. Sara’s book, Essential Retirement Planning for Solo Agers: A Retirement and Aging Roadmap for Single and Child-free Adults, was published in 2018, and was selected that year as a ‘best book on aging well’ by the WSJ. Sara's website: www.lifeencore.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarazeffgeber/
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