Petra W. Rasmussen is a policy researcher at RAND and a professor of policy analysis at the RAND School of Public Policy. Her research focuses on health care coverage in the United States, including examining consumer insurance decisionmaking, tracking the implementation and effects of federal and state health policies, and evaluating gaps in health care access and use.
Throughout her career, Rasmussen has conducted analyses using national, state, and private survey data, large insurance enrollment data, all payer claims databases, and Medicaid and Medicare claims and encounter data. In addition to her quantitative analysis expertise, Rasmussen is also a qualitative researcher, managing and conducting semi-structured interviews and focus groups, most recently for work evaluating the implementation of the No Surprises Act and its effects on hospitals, providers, employers, insurers, and patients, and as part of the CalAIM 1115 demonstration evaluation team interviewing health system leaders. She has also led several environmental scans investigating topics such as the quality of Medicare programs, the value of health plans, measures of social determinants of health, alternative payment models for workers’ compensation programs, and public funding sources for transition-age foster youth.
Rasmussen completed her Ph.D. in health policy and management at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. She 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.
Ph.D. in health policy and management, University of California, Los Angeles; M.P.H. in health policy and management, Columbia University; B.A. in global health practices and policies, Duke University
