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.
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
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.
Dec 30, 2020
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.
Jul 15, 2019
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

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?
Apr 1, 2019
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.
Feb 21, 2019
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.
Oct 27, 2018
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.
Jul 10, 2018
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?
Oct 5, 2017
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.
Sep 26, 2017
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.
Sep 23, 2017
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

The Rio Olympics Are the Site of a Battle Against 'Super Bacteria'
Brazilian scientists detected drug-resistant bacteria growing off some of Rio de Janeiro's beaches, close to where it will host sailing and wind-surfing events, and in the lagoon where the rowing and canoeing events will take place.
Jul 29, 2016
commentary

The O'Neill Review: A Critical Step in Taking Global Action Against AMR
The O'Neill Review aims to increase global knowledge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and generate international consensus about the nature of the problem and the necessary steps to tackle it. A RAND Europe analysis of the potential economic costs of AMR contributed to the Review.
May 19, 2016

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Quoted

The [Israel-Hamas] war has exacerbated a divide in American politics. Historically, Israel enjoyed wide bipartisan support. That's no longer the case with more progressives and younger voters questioning this core tenet of U.S. foreign policy. The Gaza war has certainly exacerbated this shift and it's going to continue to influence the politics of American support for years to come

Raphael S. Cohen

Director, Strategy and Doctrine Program, RAND Project AIR FORCE, and Director of the Pardee RAND Graduate School National Security Program

Source: rand.org

While there have sometimes been intense policy debates, American support for Israel was historically bipartisan. Judging by the reaction to the Gaza war at many of the leading college campuses—the crucible of future leaders—Western attitudes will only further harden against Israel. Israel has an American problem that it will struggle to effectively address.

Brian Michael Jenkins

Senior Adviser to the RAND President

Source: rand.org

Preparing the Workforce for AI: Insights for Civilian and Military Leaders

China's Use of Generative AI and Social Bots

A Year After the October 7 Start of the Israel-Hamas Conflict: Q&A with RAND Experts

October 7th and the Limits of Diplomacy

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

Health Economics

How Insurance Marketplace Regulators Can Help Consumers Enroll in Better Coverage

The Astronomical Price of Insulin Hurts American Families

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

Price-Fixing Case Reveals Vulnerability of Generic Drug Policies

Why Are Drug Prices So High in the United States?

Addressing Surprise Medical Bills Without Raising the Cost of Health Care

Health Funding—Finally Something We Can Agree On

Misconceptions About 'Medicare for All'

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

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

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

Do Americans Expect Too Much from Health Insurance?

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

The Rio Olympics Are the Site of a Battle Against 'Super Bacteria'

The O'Neill Review: A Critical Step in Taking Global Action Against AMR

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