RAND Research Topic: Health Insurance Cost Sharing 2012-05-24T14:56:48Z Copyright (c) 2012, The RAND Corporation RAND Corporation http://www.rand.org/topics/health-insurance-cost-sharing.html Expanding Consumer-Directed Health Plans Could Help Cut Overall Health Care Spending http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201200104.html May 7, 2012 May 7, 2012 If consumer-directed health plans grow to account for half of all employer-sponsored insurance in the United States, health costs could drop by $57 billion annually&mdash;about 4 percent of all health care spending among the nonelderly. Expanding Consumer-Directed Health Plans Could Help Cut Overall Health Care Spending http://www.rand.org/news/press/2012/05/07/index1.html May 7, 2012 May 7, 2012 If consumer-directed health plans grow to account for half of all employer-sponsored insurance in the United States, health costs could drop by $57 billion annually&mdash;about 4 percent of all health care spending among the nonelderly. Consumers' and Providers' Responses to Public Cost Reports, and How to Raise the Likelihood of Achieving Desired Results http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20120080.html Apr 1, 2012 Apr 1, 2012 Public reporting of health care costs is intended to motivate consumers to choose lower cost providers, and motivate providers to lower costs to retain market share. Measures should be chosen based on which pathway policymakers intend to influence. Rules Allowing Small Businesses to Opt Out of Health Reform Should Have Minor Impact on Insurance Cost http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201100293.html Feb 8, 2012 Feb 8, 2012 Rules that allow some small employers to avoid regulation under the federal Affordable Care Act are unlikely to have a major impact on the future cost of health insurance unless those rules are relaxed to allow more businesses to opt out. Rules Allowing Small Businesses to Opt Out of Health Reform Should Have Minor Impact on Insurance Cost http://www.rand.org/news/press/2012/02/08/index2.html Feb 8, 2012 Feb 8, 2012 Rules that allow some small employers to avoid regulation under the federal Affordable Care Act are unlikely to have a major impact on the future cost of health insurance unless those rules are relaxed to allow more businesses to opt out. Can the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Become Relevant to Controlling Medical Costs and Improving Value? http://www.rand.org/commentary/2011/11/09/JAMA.html Nov 9, 2011 Nov 9, 2011 A scientific and political case could be made to amend health care legislation to require that cost be included in the studies that the PCORI funds, writes Robert H. Brook. Bundling Payments to Curb Health Care Costs Proves Difficult to Realize http://www.rand.org/news/press/2011/11/07.html Nov 7, 2011 Nov 7, 2011 Under bundled payments, doctors, hospitals, and other providers share one fee for treating all aspects of a procedure such as a hip replacement or a chronic disease like diabetes. The approach should eliminate unnecessary care and improve quality, but putting it into practice is proving to be more difficult than anticipated. Consumers May Have More Control Over Health Care Costs Than Previously Thought http://www.rand.org/news/press/2011/09/29.html Sep 29, 2011 Sep 29, 2011 The historic RAND Health Insurance Experiment found that patients had little or no control over their health care spending once they began to receive a physician's care, but this has changed for those enrolled in consumer-directed health plans. Consumers May Have More Control Over Health Care Costs Than Previously Thought http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201100208.html Sep 29, 2011 Sep 29, 2011 The historic RAND Health Insurance Experiment found that patients had little or no control over their health care spending once they began to receive a physician's care, but this has changed for those enrolled in consumer-directed health plans. Consolidation of Health Plans May Help Lower Hospital Costs http://www.rand.org/news/press/2011/09/08/index1.html Sep 7, 2011 Sep 7, 2011 Increased consolidation among health plans nationally may benefit consumers by lowering hospital prices, at least in those regions where health plans are the most consolidated. Consolidation of Health Plans May Help Lower Hospital Costs http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201100177.html Sep 7, 2011 Sep 7, 2011 Increased consolidation among health plans nationally may benefit consumers by lowering hospital prices, at least in those regions where health plans are the most consolidated. Accelerating Health Care Costs Wiping Out Much of Americans' Income Gains http://www.rand.org/news/press/2011/09/08.html Sep 7, 2011 Sep 7, 2011 Fast-rising health care costs have eaten nearly all the income gains made by a median-income American family of four over the past decade, leaving them with just $95 per month in extra income, after accounting for taxes and price increases. Accelerating Health Care Costs Wiping Out Much of Americans' Income Gains http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9605.html Sep 7, 2011 Sep 7, 2011 Fast-rising health care costs have eaten nearly all the income gains made by a median-income American family of four over the past decade, leaving them with just $95 per month in extra income, after accounting for taxes and price increases. High-Deductible Health Plans Pose No Special Risks to Medically Vulnerable Populations http://www.rand.org/news/press/2011/04/18.html Apr 18, 2011 Apr 18, 2011 People who are medically vulnerable -- those with low incomes or chronic health problems -- who enroll in high-deductible health plans are at no more risk for cutting back on needed health care than other people who enroll in the plans. Largest Study of High-Deductible Health Plans Finds Substantial Cost Savings, but Less Preventive Care http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20110048.html Mar 25, 2011 Mar 25, 2011 The largest-ever assessment of high-deductible health plans finds that while such plans significantly cut health spending, they also prompt patients to cut back on preventive health care. Largest Study of High-Deductible Health Plans Finds Substantial Cost Savings, but Less Preventive Care http://www.rand.org/news/press/2011/03/25.html Mar 24, 2011 Mar 24, 2011 The largest-ever assessment of high-deductible health plans finds that while such plans significantly cut health spending, they also prompt patients to cut back on preventive health care. Scorecard for New Health Reform Legislation http://www.rand.org/commentary/2010/03/26/NJ.html Mar 25, 2010 Mar 25, 2010 <p>&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;">How close do you think that the health care reform plan would come, in reality, to achieving each goal?</span></p> <p><meta charset="utf-8"></p> Obama's Health Plan: New Federal Role for Insurance Regulation http://www.rand.org/commentary/2010/02/22/NJ.html Feb 21, 2010 Feb 21, 2010 <p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 16px;">To provide a context for understanding health insurance premium price&nbsp;increases, this document identifies the factors that insurance companies consider when setting rates for the next year.</span></p> Increase the Use of "Bundled" Payment Approaches http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR562z20.html Jan 8, 2010 Jan 8, 2010 This document explores how increased use of bundled payment approaches would affect health system performance along nine dimensions. Require Employers to Offer Coverage http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR562z2.html Jan 8, 2010 Jan 8, 2010 This document explores how requiring employers to offer health insurance (an employer mandate) would affect health system performance along nine dimensions.