Leighton Ku, PhD, MPH

Leighton Ku is Professor in the Department of Health Policy.

• Phone: (202) 416-0479
• Fax: (202) 296-0025
• Email: Leighton.Ku@gwumc.edu

As a health policy researcher, a public policy analyst, and an advocate, Dr. Ku's career has been built around the effort to understand and improve access to affordable health care for vulnerable populations. Among his areas of expertise are Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), immigrant health, state health reform, and health care financing and budgets, with an emphasis on strengthening the health care safety net. "I am interested in applying the lessons of research to policies and programs at the federal and state levels, and working with governmental officials, community groups and advocacy organizations to do it," he says.

Professor Ku joined SPHHS as a full-time faculty member in 2008, but he has held adjunct positions at GW's School of Public Policy and Public Administration since the early 1990s. During that time, he also served as a senior fellow at the Washington-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which focuses on improving policies for low- and moderate-income Americans; as principal researcher at the Urban Institute; and as a policy and budget analyst for the federal Women, Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program.

Education

Bachelor of Arts (Biochemistry), Harvard College, 1975
Master of Science (Nutritional sciences), University of California, Berkeley, 1979
Master of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, 1979
Doctor of Philosophy (Health policy), Boston University, 1990

Teaching

PubH 282: Application of Health Policy Analysis, Department of Health Policy
PubPol 212: Advanced Research Methods in Public Policy, School of Public Policy and Public Administration
PubPol 211: Research Methods in Public Policy, School of Public Policy and Public Administration

Research

Professor Ku is the author, or co-author, of more than 200 articles and reports about health policy and public health focused on health care access and insurance coverage for low-income and vulnerable populations.

Community Service

Dr. Ku has testified before Congress and state legislatures and has submitted expert affidavits in federal and state lawsuits involving Medicaid cost-sharing and immigrant rights. He serves on the National Advisory Board of the Center on Social Disparities on Health at the University of California at San Francisco and on the board of the Alliance for Fairness in Reforms to Medicaid. In 2005, he earned an award from the Mississippi Center for Justice for promoting racial and economic justice.

Departments

• Health Policy

Publications

• Public and private health insurance: stacking up the costs.
  Ku L, Broaddus M. "Public and private health insurance: stacking up the costs." Health Affairs (web exclusive);27 (4): 281-27, June 24, 2008.
• Analysis of the proposed rule on designation of medically underserved populations and health professional shortage areas
  Shin P, Ku L, Jones E, Rosenbaum S. Analysis of the proposed rule on designation of medically underserved populations and health professional shortage areas. [Research brief.] Washington, DC: Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative. Revised May 2008.
• Changes in immigrants' use of Medicaid and food stamps: the role of eligibility and other factors.
  Ku L. "Changes in immigrants' use of Medicaid and food stamps: the role of eligibility and other factors." In Fix, M, editor, Immigrant Children and Families on the 10th Anniversary of Welfare Reform. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute. In press: 2008.
• Improving health insurance and access to care for children in immigrant families.
  Ku L. "Improving health insurance and access to care for children in immigrant families." Ambulatory Pediatrics, Nov 2007;7 (6):412-20.
• Expanding children's health insurance and raising federal tobacco taxes helps low-income families
  Ku L, Lindblom E. "Expanding children's health insurance and raising federal tobacco taxes helps low-income families." Washington, DC: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Oct. 16, 2007.
• Access to health care and health insurance: immigrants and immigration.
  Ku L, Papademetrios DG. "Access to health care and health insurance: immigrants and immigration." In: Fix M, editor. Securing America's Future: U.S. Immigrant Integration Policy Reader. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute. Feb. 2007.
• Improving children's health: a chartbook about the roles of Medicaid and SCHIP.
  Ku L, Lin M, Broaddus M. Improving children's health: a chartbook about the roles of Medicaid and SCHIP. 2007 ed. Washington, DC: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Jan. 2007.
• Language barriers to health care access among Medicare beneficiaries.
  Ponce N, Ku L, Cunningham W, Brown ER. "Language barriers to health care access among Medicare beneficiaries." Inquiry, Spring 2006;43 (1):66–76.
• Why immigrants lack adequate access to health care and health insurance, migration information source.
  Ku L. "Why immigrants lack adequate access to health care and health insurance, migration information source." Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute. Sept. 2006.

Among many reports and other publications for the Washington-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:

• 'Crowd-Out' is not the same as voluntarily dropping private health insurance for public program coverage
  Ku L. "'Crowd-Out' is not the same as voluntarily dropping private health insurance for public program coverage," Sept. 27, 2007.
• Collateral damage: children can lose coverage when their parents lose health insurance.
  Ku L. "Collateral damage: children can lose coverage when their parents lose health insurance." Sept. 17, 2007.
• More Americans, including more children, now lack health insurance.
  Ku L. "More Americans, including more children, now lack health insurance." Aug. 31, 2007.
• Comparing public and private health insurance for children.
  Ku L. "Comparing public and private health insurance for children." May 11, 2007.
• Reducing disparities in health coverage for legal immigrant children and pregnant women.
  Ku L. "Reducing disparities in health coverage for legal immigrant children and pregnant women." April 20, 2007.
• Census revises estimates of the number of uninsured people.
  Ku L. "Census revises estimates of the number of uninsured people." April 5, 2007.
• The administration again proposes to shift federal Medicaid costs to states.
  Ku L, Schneider A, Solomon J. "The administration again proposes to shift federal Medicaid costs to states." Feb. 14, 2007.
• Medicaid costs are growing more slowly than costs for Medicare or private insurance.
  Ku L. "Medicaid costs are growing more slowly than costs for Medicare or private insurance." Nov. 13, 2006.
• Coverage of parents helps children, too.
  Ku L, Broaddus M. "Coverage of parents helps children, too." Oct. 20, 2006.
• Is Medicaid responsible for the erosion of employer-based health coverage?
  Ku L, Broaddus M. "Is Medicaid responsible for the erosion of employer-based health coverage?" Sept. 22, 2006.
• Survey indicates House bill could deny voting rights to millions of U.S. citizens.
  Greenstein R, Ku L, Dean S. "Survey indicates House bill could deny voting rights to millions of U.S. citizens." Sept. 22, 2006.
• Documenting citizenship and identity using data matches: a promising strategy for state Medicaid programs.
  Ku L, Cohen Ross D, Broaddus M. "Documenting citizenship and identity using data matches: a promising strategy for state Medicaid programs." Sept. 1, 2006.