Health Economics

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.

Petra Rasmussen, David M. Anderson

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.

commentary

Vaccine Nationalism May Seem Inevitable, but There Are Real Economic Consequences

Vaccine nationalism, in which countries prioritize their domestic needs at the expense of others, will have significant global economic consequences. Major economies actually have more to gain by helping to make an effective COVID-19 vaccine widely available globally.

Marco Hafner

blog

Youth Sports, Autonomous Vehicles, Mental Health: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on why low-income children aren't playing sports, who's liable when autonomous vehicles get hacked, supporting children with mental health issues, and more.

commentary

Price-Fixing Case Reveals Vulnerability of Generic Drug Policies

A massive lawsuit filed by 44 states accuses 20 major drug makers of colluding to inflate prices on more than 100 generic drugs, including HIV, cancer, and depression treatments. If these allegations are true, then this isn't just a violation of antitrust law. It's a betrayal of the policies that created and defended the entire generic drug industry.

Andrew W. Mulcahy @AndrewWMulcahy

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.

commentary

Addressing Surprise Medical Bills Without Raising the Cost of Health Care

Patients who try to stay within their insurers' networks can be hit with surprise bills when they unknowingly receive care from out-of-network physicians. How much should a physician be paid for providing a service that is critical but rendered without the patient's ready ability to choose an in-network provider?

Erin Lindsey Duffy, Mark W. Friedberg, et al.

commentary

Health Funding—Finally Something We Can Agree On

At a time when it has become common to think of the UK as a divided society, there are important questions of policy on which a great many people agree. How to fund the ever-growing needs of the NHS and social care is one such area of agreement.

Jon Sussex

commentary

Misconceptions About 'Medicare for All'

Medicare for All is a talking point for both major U.S. political parties. Would it be free? Would people have to switch doctors? Would waits be long? Misconceptions abound about single-payer proposals and their likely effects. Here are the facts.

Jodi L. Liu @jodilliu, Christine Eibner @Chrissyeibner

commentary

Tax Funding of Health and Social Care Internationally: Does Hypothecation Help?

The case for raising much more money to pay for health care and social care in the United Kingdom over the next few years is strong. Earmarking taxes for public funding of health care or social care is worth consideration.

Jon Sussex

commentary

New Options for Funding the NHS and Social Care in the UK: What Can We Learn from International Experiences?

International experiences show the complexity of policy choices around funding health and social care. What models are most feasible and appropriate to fund the UK's health and social care systems, both among policymakers and the public?

Jennie Corbett, Jon Sussex

commentary

Savings from a Single-Payer Health System Would Not Be Automatic

Polls have shown increasing public support for a single-payer system in the United States. Yet there is no agreement on how to set up and pay for a single-payer system or even how much it would cost.

Jodi L. Liu @jodilliu

commentary

Do Americans Expect Too Much from Health Insurance?

Americans expect affordable coverage for pre-existing conditions, access to routine services, and protection from unpredictable and significant financial risk from accidents or illness. As a product designed primarily for risk protection, insurance may not be the most efficient or affordable approach to achieving all of these objectives.

Christine Eibner @Chrissyeibner, Katherine Grace Carman

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.

Jodi L. Liu @jodilliu, Christine Eibner @Chrissyeibner

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.

Christine Eibner @Chrissyeibner, Christopher M. Whaley @cm_whaley