2025

NPR | "Study: 14 million lives could be lost due to aid cuts"


Dr. James Macinko, professor in the UCLA Fielding School departments of Health Policy and Management and Community Health Sciences, was quoted by NPR

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Dr. James Macinko, professor in the UCLA Fielding School departments of Health Policy and Management and Community Health Sciences, was interviewed by NPR about research into the impact of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Macinko co-authored research, published this month in the medical journal, The Lancet, that estimates that USAID programs have saved over 90 million lives over the past two decades. The researchers also estimate that if the current cuts continue through 2030, 14 million people who might have otherwise lived could die.

"Is [USAID] a good use of resources? We found that the average taxpayer has contributed about 18 cents per day to USAID," says James Macinko, a health policy researcher at UCLA and study co-author. "For that small amount, we've been able to translate that into saving up to 90 million deaths around the world."

Read the NPR article

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