Economic Burden of Health Care

commentary

How Insurance Marketplace Regulators Can Help Consumers Enroll in Better Coverage
The Affordable Care Act simplified shopping for health care by creating the individual health insurance marketplaces where plans are categorized into labeled tiers. Consumers rely on these labels when comparing plans. But the labels don't tell consumers everything they need to know.
Aug 2, 2021

essay

The Astronomical Price of Insulin Hurts American Families
More than 30 million Americans have diabetes, and nearly a quarter of them use insulin to manage their symptoms and prevent life-threatening complications. The price they have to pay for insulin is more than ten times higher than the average prices in 32 other countries combined.
Jan 6, 2021
blog

Why Are Drug Prices So High in the United States?
Ezekiel J. Emanuel is vice provost for global initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania and chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy. In 2018, he delivered the Albert P. Williams Lecture on Health Policy at RAND, where he offered a framework for thinking about drug pricing.
May 3, 2019
commentary

Extending Marketplace Tax Credits Would Make Coverage More Affordable for Middle-Income Adults
Paying for health care coverage is a challenge for Americans facing rising premiums, deductibles, and copayments. The ACA's tax credits that make marketplace insurance more affordable for lower-income individuals should be extended to middle-income adults aged 50–64.
Jul 27, 2017
commentary

Removing Maternity Care and Mental Health Treatment from Coverage Requirements Would Reduce Premiums, but Lead to Significant Spending Increases for Some Consumers
The American Health Care Act passed by the U.S. House of Representatives to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act allows states to waive benefits that the ACA deemed “essential.” Dropping maternity care coverage, for example, would reduce premiums by 5 percent but increase out-of-pocket spending for new mothers.
May 18, 2017
commentary

What Happens If the ACA's Tax Credits Are Replaced with Premium Support?
As policymakers consider alternatives to reduce the federal government's financial burden from providing subsidies under the ACA, they should consider the consequences for enrollees. Existing premium-support models yield considerable savings for the federal government but could create age and income disparities in coverage.
Nov 24, 2015
commentary

Why Obamacare Lives
Economic reasoning took center stage in the Supreme Court's decision on Thursday to uphold the legality of the Affordable Care Act's subsidies in all states.
Jun 26, 2015
commentary

Demographics Add Urgency for Action on Dementia Long-Term Care
Dementia takes a huge toll on those afflicted with it. But it also has major consequences for those who must care for them, most often family and friends.
Jul 28, 2014
commentary

Is the ACA Keeping a Lid on Growth in Healthcare Spending?
Some point to the healthcare spending slowdown as an early success of the Affordable Care Act. Others warn that it's merely a hangover from the recession, and that the inevitable spending rebound will be exacerbated by the ACA coverage expansions.
Apr 3, 2014
commentary

A Global Focus on Dementia
The Group of 8 industrial nations is convening a special session to seek an international approach to dementia research at a time the disease is being recognized as a 21st century global health crisis of historic proportions.
Dec 11, 2013
commentary

Will the Affordable Care Act Make Health Care More Affordable?
Out-of-pocket spending on health care will decrease for both the newly insured as well as for those changing their source of insurance. These decreases will be largest for those who would otherwise be uninsured.
Oct 1, 2013
commentary

Covering Emergency Care for Young Adults: Is the ACA Doing Its Job?
The dependent coverage provision of the Affordable Care Act is working as intended, say Andrew Mulcahy and Katherine Harris. In 2011, it spared individuals and hospitals from $147 million in emergency room costs.
Jun 5, 2013
commentary

The Cost of Dementia: Who Will Pay?
It is time for the government in partnership with industry to return to the drawing board to craft a plan that will provide protection for the more than 9 million people who will need care for dementia by 2040, writes Michael D. Hurd.
May 1, 2013
commentary

Dementia's Growing Cost to Caregivers
At the rate that the U.S. population is aging, the total cost of dementia could reach half a trillion dollars a year by 2040. Those who care for impaired relatives and friends are acutely aware of the effects of dementia, and unfortunately they are all too familiar with its costs, writes Kathleen J. Mullen.
Apr 29, 2013
commentary

The Economic Promise of Malaria Reduction
Better understanding of how malaria reduction affects different households, regions, and economic sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa could allow policymakers to assess alternative intervention strategies and allocate resources more efficiently and effectively.
Apr 24, 2013
blog

Rising Health Care Costs and the Middle Class
A new RAND study finds that rising health care costs reduce the availability of and enrollment in employment-based private health insurance, and the financial protection provided by it, especially for middle class families.
Apr 13, 2012

Quoted

Mandatory evacuation orders are issued when disasters have potentially life-threatening impacts. Disaster after disaster, orders resulted in evacuations that have saved untold lives. Milton is rapidly intensifying and expected to be one of the largest hurricanes on record when it hits the United States. Staying in place could have severe, life-threatening consequences.

Aaron Clark-Ginsberg

Behavioral/Social Scientist

Source: rand.org

The mechanisms behind the apparent adverse effects of climate change on human health are not entirely understood. However, the need for pre-planning for these events to prevent poor health outcomes is clear. Especially among the most vulnerable populations, it is critical to develop and implement mitigating strategies.

Mahshid Abir

Senior Physician Policy Researcher, Professor of Policy Analysis, Pardee RAND Graduate School

Source: rand.org

How to Support Victims of Elder Mistreatment

Climate Change Affects Health and Will Increase Drug Demand

Evacuating from Hurricane Milton: What the Whole Community Can Do

Hurricane Milton: The Latest Climate-Related Threat to American Health

The Math Equity Equation

The Policy Currents Podcast

Getting to Know Military Caregivers and Their Needs

Managing Escalation in Crisis and War

Assessing and Articulating the Wider Benefits of Research

Improving Access to Early Childhood Education

Economic Burden of Health Care

How Insurance Marketplace Regulators Can Help Consumers Enroll in Better Coverage

The Astronomical Price of Insulin Hurts American Families

Why Are Drug Prices So High in the United States?

Extending Marketplace Tax Credits Would Make Coverage More Affordable for Middle-Income Adults

Removing Maternity Care and Mental Health Treatment from Coverage Requirements Would Reduce Premiums, but Lead to Significant Spending Increases for Some Consumers

What Happens If the ACA's Tax Credits Are Replaced with Premium Support?

Why Obamacare Lives

Demographics Add Urgency for Action on Dementia Long-Term Care

Is the ACA Keeping a Lid on Growth in Healthcare Spending?

A Global Focus on Dementia

Will the Affordable Care Act Make Health Care More Affordable?

Covering Emergency Care for Young Adults: Is the ACA Doing Its Job?

The Cost of Dementia: Who Will Pay?

Dementia's Growing Cost to Caregivers

The Economic Promise of Malaria Reduction

Rising Health Care Costs and the Middle Class

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