Dickman

Samuel Lefebvre Dickman

Chief Medical Officer, Planned Parenthood of Montana
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About Samuel

Dr. Dickman, an internist and health policy researcher, is the medical director for primary care at Planned Parenthood South Texas and a member of the Lancet Commission on US Public Policy and Health. His research focuses on inequality, reproductive health, substance use, and incarceration. Dr. Dickman received his MD from Harvard Medical School and completed a residency in internal medicine at San Francisco General Hospital/UCSF

Contributions | No Jargon Podcast | In the News | Publications

Contributions

Life and Health Will Suffer in States Opting Out of the Medicaid Expansion

Key Findings Brief,

In the News

Opinion: "They Say They Are Attacking Abortion. They Are Really Hurting the Poor.," Samuel Lefebvre Dickman, Opinion, The New York Times, February 16, 2021.
Research discussed by Sean McElwee, in "The Scary Lessons of Matt Bevin: What We Can Learn about American Politics from the Right Wing’s Destructive Anti-Medicaid Crusade," Salon, November 7, 2015.
Research discussed by Jon Perr, in "GOP's ObamaCare Spite Means Death Toll for Red States," Daily Kos, March 30, 2014.
Research discussed by Tim Darragh and Steve Esack, in "Study: Many Will Die if Medicaid is Not Expanded," The Morning Call, January 30, 2014.
Research discussed by Rachel Zimmerman, in "Study: The Deadly Toll of Opting Out of the New Medicaid Expansion," WBUR’s Common Health, January 30, 2014.
Research discussed by Sim Sim Wissgott, in "Prisons Emerge as Hotspots for AIDS Pandemic," AFP, July 22, 2010.

Publications

"Medication Assisted Treatment in U.S. Drug Courts: Results from a Nationwide Survey of Availability, Barriers and Attitudes" (with Harlan Matusow, Josiah D. Rich, Chunki Fong, Dora M. Dumont, Carolyn Hardin, Douglas Marlowe, and Andrew Rosenblum). Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment 44, no. 5 (May/June 2013): 473-480.
Uses an online survey to assess availability, barriers, and need for treatment (especially agonist medication) for opioid addiction in drug courts and argues that a substantial, targeted educational initiative is needed to increase awareness of the treatment and criminal justice benefits of medication assisted treatment in the drug courts.
"Mortality at For-Profit Versus Not-for-Profit Hemodialysis Centers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis" (with Reza Mirza, Maryam Kandi, Michael A Incze, Lorin Dodbiba, Raad Yameen, Arnav Agarwal , Ying Zhang, Rakhshan Kamran , Rachel Couban, Gordon Guyatt, and Steven Hanna). International Journal of Health Services (2020).

Discusses studies of systematic reviews and meta-analysis to assess differences in risk-adjusted mortality rates between for-profit (FP) and not-for-profit (NFP) hemodialysis facilities.

"Health Spending for Low-, Middle-, and High-Income Americans, 1963–2012" (with Steffie Woolhandler, Jacob Bor, Dany McCormick, David H Bor, and David U Himmelstein). Health Affairs (Millwood) 35, no. 7 (2016): 1189-96.

Explores whether the health spending slowdown affected all income groups equally, by dividing the population into income quintiles. Assesses trends in health expenditures by and on behalf of people in each quintile using twenty-two national surveys carried out between 1963 and 2012.

"Inequality and the Health-Care System in the USA" (with David U Himmelstein and Steffie Woolhandler). The Lancet 389, no. 10077 (2017): 1431-1441.

Focuses on how the health-care system, which could reduce income-based disparities in health, instead often exacerbates them.

"Public Policy and Health in the Trump Era" (with Steffie Woolhandler, David U Himmelstein, Sameer Ahmed, Zinzi Bailey, Mary T Bassett , Michael Bird, Jacob Bor, David Bor, Olveen Carrasquillo, Merlin Chowkwanyun, Atheendar Venkataramani , Samantha Fisher , Adam Gaffney, Sandro Galea, Richard N Gottfried, Kevin Grumbach, Gordon Guyatt, Helena Hansen, Philip J Landrigan , Michael Lighty , Martin McKee , Danny McCormick, Alecia McGregor , Reza Mirza , Juliana E Morris , Joia S Mukherjee, Marion Nestle , Linda Prine , Altaf Saadi , Davida Schiff , Martin Shapiro , and Lello Tesema). The Lancet 397, no. 10275 (2021): 705-703.

Traces the decades of policy failures that preceded and fueled Trump’s ascent and left the USA lagging behind other high-income nations on life expectancy. Warns that a return to pre-Trump era policies is not enough to protect health. Finds sweeping reforms are needed to redress long-standing racism, weakened social and health safety nets that have deepened inequality, and calls on the important role of health professionals in advocating for health care reform in the USA.

"Opting Out of Medicaid Expansion: The Health and Financial Impacts" (with David Himmelstein, Danny McCormick, and Steffie Woolhandler). Health Affairs Blog (January 2014).
Estimates the number and demographic characteristics of people likely to remain uninsured as a result of states’ opting out of Medicaid expansion; predicts that many low-income women will forego recommended breast and cervical cancer screening; diabetics will forego medications; all low-income adults will face a greater likelihood of depression, catastrophic medical expenses, and death; and disparities in access to care based on state of residence will increase.
"Public Health and the Epidemic of Incarceration" (with Dora M. Dumont, Brad Brockmann, Nicole Alexander, and Josiah D. Rich). Annual Review of Public Health 33 (2012): 325-339.
Reviews the health profiles of the incarcerated, health care in correctional facilities, and incarceration's repercussions for public health in the communities – typically low-income, predominantly nonwhite, and more likely to be medically underserved – to which inmates return upon release. Recommends that public health and medical practitioners capitalize on the public health opportunities provided by correctional settings to reach medically underserved communities, while simultaneously advocating for fundamental system change to reduce unnecessary incarceration.