on Facebook
on Twitter
on YouTube
Video: RAND Congressional Briefing Series
Options for Controlling Health Care Spending in Massachusetts
Presenter
Christine Eibner
Economist
RAND Corporation
Health care reform is one of the top legislative priorities for the 111th Congress. As the House and Senate debate the different proposals, one of the most common questions is how to reign in health care spending and decrease costs.
The RAND Corporation recently conducted an analysis of options for reducing health care spending in Massachusetts. Rising health care costs threaten to make the universal coverage initiative passed in 2006 unsustainable. The lessons learned in this study are broadly applicable and could help Congress navigate cost containment proposals in the health reform debate. Findings from the report presented at the briefing will include the following:
- Policies that would reform payments systems are the most promising for reducing spending.
- Policies aimed at managing chronic illness show limited potential for reducing spending—many require investments that may not pay off in the short to medium term.
- No single policy is a magic bullet—a combined approach is likely necessary.
- Experience with most of the policy options is limited.
RAND Office of Congressional Relations
For more than 60 years, RAND has provided policymakers with independent, objective research and analysis on key national security, domestic, and international issues. RAND work helps members of Congress and their staffs make better-informed decisions on the nation's pressing challenges. The Office of Congressional Relations offers a number of products and services to educate, inform, and facilitate congressional policymakers' access to RAND work, including coordinating congressional testimony by RAND experts, organizing briefings and meetings, synthesizing RAND work into topical e-newsletters and providing reports and publications to congressional offices. For more information, visit the Office of Congressional Relations Web page, contact ocr@rand.org, or call (703) 413-1100 x5395.
Top