Beth Hallowell (Anthropology, UPenn)

From Co-Payments to Rent Payments: Value and Vulnerability in the Grey Economy  of U.S. Healthcare

Hallowell examines issues surrounding medical care during pregnancy to consider  how the value of human life is negotiated. She shows how pregnant women, their  healthcare providers, and local advocates leverage state-defined vulnerability to gain  insurance coverage. Accordingly, particular forms of vulnerability become currency in  a healthcare grey market.