COMPARE: One-Stop Shopping for Information About Health Policy
Like the U.S. health care system itself, efforts to improve the system are complex. Every policy prescription to solve one problem ripples through the system in ways that are not easily identified or understood. RAND Health created COMPARE (Comprehensive Assessment of Reform Efforts) in recognition of these complexities and the need for objective information to inform health policy decisionmaking.
COMPARE is a first-of-its kind online resource that provides one-stop shopping for objective analysis of health policy issues. Features of COMPARE's innovative Web site include (1) facts and figures about the current state of the U.S. health care system, focusing on key dimensions of health system performance; (2) descriptions of policy options for changing the health care system; and (3) inventory and status of prominent federal, state, and private health care reform proposals.
The centerpiece of COMPARE is a policy options "dashboard" that provides both a snapshot and an in-depth look at how various policy choices would affect a range of outcomes, such as spending and patient health, and the ease with which changes could be implemented. The dashboard also illustrates gaps in our knowledge about the consequences of potential changes in the health care system. Information on the dashboard integrates available evidence about the likely effects of policies and the results of a state-of-the-art microsimulation model. The Web site also offers interactive access to the modeling results, allowing policymakers to explore how specific details of a policy (e.g., changing eligibility requirements for Medicaid) affect its results (e.g., reduction in the number of uninsured). Thus, COMPARE can be used not only to assess proposals that have been made but also to help decisionmakers design policies.
From its inception, COMPARE has benefited from a wide range of perspectives and expertise from across the health care environment. To ensure the highest quality and objectivity, RAND Health created a distinguished Strategic Policy Advisory Committee to facilitate the development of COMPARE. The 26-member committee is a critical element of RAND Health's exacting peer-review process. COMPARE is funded by contributions from a broad range of individuals, corporations, foundations, and stakeholders from across the health care spectrum, as well as contributions from RAND itself, through the nonprofit's funds for investing in RAND people and ideas.
COMPARE will become an essential tool for policymakers. It is a global positioning system for health care policy, telling us where we are now and where new proposals are likely to take us in the immensely complex terrain of health care reform.
COMPARE is co-directed by Elizabeth McGlynn, associate director of RAND Health, and Jeffrey Wasserman, a senior policy researcher at RAND.
Upcoming Event
Mark your calendar for a Hill briefing by Elizabeth McGlynn on COMPARE on March 27, 2009. Time and Hill location TBA. Please contact Kristy Anderson at kristy_anderson@rand.org or 703-413-1100 ext. 5196 for more information.
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RAND Health's 40th Anniversary
As noted in last month’s newsletter, 2009 is RAND Health’s 40th year of operation. To mark this anniversary, we will highlight 40 studies or streams of research conducted over the past four decades that reflect the breadth and scope of our work and that have made the greatest contribution to shaping health care policy, advancing health research, and improving the health of individuals around the world. Our February features will include the pathbreaking Health Insurance Experiment, RAND’s Quality Assessment Tools, and the first report card on the quality of health care in America. Read more at www.rand.org/health/.
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RAND CONGRESSIONAL RESOURCES STAFF
Lindsey Kozberg
Vice President, Office of External Affairs
Shirley Ruhe
Director, Office of Congressional Relations
Kristy Anderson
Health Legislative Analyst
RAND Office of Congressional Relations
(703) 413-1100 x5395
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