Petra Rasmussen

Petra W. Rasmussen (she/her) is an associate policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. Her research focuses on health care coverage in the United States, including examining consumer insurance decision-making, tracking the implementation and effects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and evaluating gaps in health care access and use. She has worked with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, analyzing data on the care provided to Medicare beneficiaries following procedures with global periods, and has conducted evaluations of health-related programs, including the Los Angeles County Health Pathways Expansion program, which provided funding for health services providers to serve people experiencing homelessness where they are in order to improve their health and well-being.

Prior to joining RAND, Rasmussen worked at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research as a member of the California Simulation of Insurance Markets (CalSIM) microsimulation model team, which estimates the effects of the ACA and other coverage-related policies on insurance enrollment in California. She was previously a senior research associate at The Commonwealth Fund in New York City, where she managed a large survey portfolio, produced reports and issue briefs, and tracked and researched emerging policy issues regarding health reform and the comprehensiveness and affordability of health insurance coverage and access to care.

Rasmussen completed her Ph.D. in health policy and management at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. She also has a bachelor's degree from Duke University and an M.P.H. in health policy and management from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.