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Health Care Financing

Health care systems may be financed in various ways, including through government funding, taxation, out-of-pocket payments, private insurance, and donations or voluntary aid. RAND research explores the effects of corporate and government health care financing policies on such groups as patients, businesses, hospitals, and physician-providers.

Research conducted by: RAND Health

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The Public Option: Sorting Rhetoric from Reality

President Obama and several Congressional leaders have recently expressed support for the idea of allowing citizens to buy into a public insurance program as part of any health reform legislation. The intensity of the ensuing debate has been fascinating given the lack of specifics that have been offered by either side, writes Elizabeth A. McGlynn.

Commentary (6)

A Health Care Entitlement Worth Ending — Feb 27, 2013

The health care “entitlement” we need to reform is the notion that America's health care system is entitled to an ever-growing share of America's wealth, writes Arthur Kellermann.

Commentary

25 Small Ideas for Saving Big Health Care Dollars — Jan 30, 2013

Given the size of the annual “health care spend”—$2.7 trillion—summing up the savings associated with very minor cost-saving policy changes is likely to achieve significant aggregate savings, writes Jeffrey Wasserman.

Commentary

Health Care Cost Growth Is Hurting Middle-Class Families — Jan 3, 2013

Unfortunately, nearly every actor in our health care delivery system—hospitals, physicians, other health care providers, insurance companies and the manufacturers of drugs and devices—is currently focused on maximizing revenue growth, write Arthur Kellermann and David Auerbach.

Commentary

Will More Employers Drop Coverage Under the ACA? Don't Bet on It — Jul 27, 2012

A problem with using surveys to predict behavior is that they measure employer sentiment toward the ACA today, rather than the economic decisions employers typically make when the time comes, writes Art Kellermann.

Commentary

Obama's Health Plan: New Federal Role for Insurance Regulation — Feb 22, 2010

In general, health insurance premiums are set at a level that will cover the expected payouts for insured people plus profit. To provide a context for understanding price increases, this document identifies the factors that insurance companies consider when setting rates for the next year, writes Elizabeth McGlynn.