Congressional alert

Health Care

January 12, 2023

Issues in the 118th Congress

Welcome to the 118th Congress! The nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation has been a trusted source for congressional staff on both sides of the aisle for decades. Our experts have testified and answered questions for staff on a variety of health care topics recently, including drug pricing, hospital prices and transparency, combatting the opioid crisis, telehealth expansion, health insurance markets, the COVID-19 pandemic, and much more. Below you’ll find examples of RAND’s expertise that address issues likely to confront Congress this coming legislative session.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you ever have any questions, would like to speak to a RAND researcher, or would like a copy of a RAND report.

Telehealth

Geber86/Getty Images

RESEARCH BRIEF: Key Findings from RAND Health Care Research on Telehealth Policy

COMMENTARY: Informing the Debate About Telemedicine Reimbursement – What Do We Need to Know?

COMMENTARY: Rethinking the Impact of Audio-Only Visits on Health Equity

REPORT: Experiences of Health Centers in Implementing Telehealth Visits for Underserved Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Hospital Prices

DenisTangneyJr/Getty Images

REPORT: Prices Paid to Hospitals by Private Health Plans

REPORT: Impact of Policy Options for Reducing Hospital Prices Paid by Private Health Plans

REPORT: Consolidation Trends and Impacts in Health Care Markets

POLICY INSIGHTS: What We Have Learned About the Economic Effects of Vertical Integration?

Opioid Crisis

A screen showing the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP) which maps various types of opioid overdose responses entered into an app by first responders and is being adopted by police, July 19, 2017, photo by Brian Snyder/Reuters

Brian Snyder/Reuters

TESTIMONY: Giving Drug Policy Decisionmakers the Data They Need

STUDY: How Much Illegally Manufactured Fentanyl Could the United States Be Consuming?

STUDY: Rapid Changes in Illegally Manufactured Fentanyl Products and Prices in the United States

STUDY: Growing Racial & Ethnic Disparities in Buprenorphine Distribution

Prescription Drugs

FG Trade/Getty Images

COMMENTARY: Medicare Drug Negotiation – Key Decisions to Reach a ‘Fair Price’

REPORT: Comparing Insulin Prices in the United States to Other Countries

REPORT: Assessing Relationships Between Drug Shortages in the United States and Other Countries

STUDY: Projected U.S. Savings from Biosimilars, 2021–2025

REPORT: International Prescription Drug Price Comparisons

RAND Congressional Resources Staff

Jayme Fuglesten
Director, Office of Congressional Relations

Experts and Research Available to You

Members of Congress and staff can receive free copies of RAND reports and engage with researchers. To request reports, briefings, or meetings, or to invite researchers to testify, please contact ocr@rand.org.

Learn more at rand.org/congress.

Countering Truth Decay

“Truth Decay,” the diminishing role of facts in U.S. public life, poses a grave threat to evidence-based policymaking and to American democracy. RAND continues to study this phenomenon to learn more about its causes, consequences, and potential solutions.

Explore the research.

The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. We serve the public interest by helping lawmakers reach informed decisions on the nation's pressing challenges.
www.rand.org/congress

Follow RAND

Privacy statement

RAND Corporation. 1776 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401-3208.
RAND® is a registered trademark.