The Impact of Air Quality on Hospital Spending
ResearchPublished Jan 15, 2010
Air pollution is harmful to human health, but little is known about the costs of pollution-related health care. If such care imposes a significant burden on insurance companies and employers, they would have substantial stakes in improving air quality. Reduced medical spending could also benefit public programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. This study estimated the amount of medical spending by private health insurers and public purchasers, such as Medicare, that is related to air pollution. Specifically, the authors determined how much failing to meet air quality standards cost various purchasers of hospital care in California over 2005-2007. The results indicate that substantial reductions in hospital spending can be achieved through reductions in air pollution.
Related Content
Topics
Document Details
- Copyright: RAND Corporation
- Availability: Available
- Year: 2010
- Print Format: Paperback
- Paperback Pages: 76
- Paperback Price: $23.00
- Paperback ISBN/EAN: 978-0-8330-4929-2
- Document Number: TR-777-WFHF
Citation
RAND Style Manual
Chicago Manual of Style
Romley, John A., Andrew Hackbarth, and Dana P. Goldman, The Impact of Air Quality on Hospital Spending, RAND Corporation, TR-777-WFHF, 2010. As of October 6, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR777.html
Romley, John A., Andrew Hackbarth, and Dana P. Goldman, The Impact of Air Quality on Hospital Spending. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2010. https://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR777.html. Also available in print form.
This work was sponsored by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. The research was conducted in RAND Health, a division of the RAND Corporation.
This publication is part of the RAND technical report series. RAND technical reports, products of RAND from 2003 to 2011, presented research findings on a topic limited in scope or intended for a narrow audience; discussions of the methodology employed in research; literature reviews, survey instruments, modeling exercises, guidelines for practitioners and research professionals, and supporting documentation; and preliminary findings. All RAND technical reports were subject to rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.
This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.
RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.