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Economic Burden of Health Care

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Report
U.S. Prescription Drug Prices Are 2.56 Times Those in Other Countries
Prices for prescription drugs in the United States in 2018 were 256 percent of those in 32 comparison countries. For brand-name drugs, U.S. prices were 344 percent higher. But for generic drugs, they were only 84 percent of the average paid in other nations.
Jan 28, 2021
Commentary
Vaccine Nationalism Has 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

Explore Economic Burden of Health Care

Journal Article
Partially Different? The Importance of General Equilibrium in Health Economic Evaluations: An Application to Nocturia
The main findings of this study highlight the magnitude of general equilibrium effects when assessing the potential productivity costs associated with health conditions.
Nov 29, 2022
Report
The burden of respiratory syncytial virus: Understanding impacts on the NHS, society and economy
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a significant burden on the healthcare system and on children and their parents and caregivers. We estimate RSV in children under 5 in the UK costs £80 million in healthcare costs and productivity losses each year.
May 31, 2022
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
Research Brief
10Plan, How Would It Affect Health Care Spending by Consumers and the Federal Government
The 10Plan is a self-pay plan for individuals currently uninsured or covered by a private nongroup health insurance plan. The authors built a microsimulation model to estimate health care spending under both the status quo and the 10Plan.
Feb 25, 2021
Report
The 10Plan: An Alternative Approach to Health Care Financing
The 10Plan would require individuals to pay a copayment for each encounter but no premiums up front. They'd have Medicare rates, and could pay cash or borrow from the government at a low interest rate to pay for services. How would health care spending and federal costs change under the plan?
Jan 25, 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
Journal Article
Estimating the Cost of Growing the NHS Cancer Workforce in England by 2029
This research aims to understand the requirements for the NHS, and particularly for HEE, of increasing the seven priority cancer workforces by 45 per cent by 2029.
Oct 14, 2020
Dissertation
Three Essays In Health Policy and Economics: Surprise Out-of-Network Medical Bills and Out-of-Network Health Care Provider Payment in the United States
Three essays addressing surprise out-of-network medical bills and out-of-network health care provider payment.
Jul 16, 2020
News Release
Limiting Out-of-Network Payments to Hospitals Could Produce Cost Savings Similar to Single-Payer Options
Placing limits on what hospitals can collect for out-of-network care could yield savings similar to more-sweeping proposals such as Medicare for All or setting global health spending caps. Because such an approach has the possibility to sharply cut hospital revenues, any cap would need to be set carefully as to not overly disrupt hospital operations.
Mar 12, 2020
Report
The Effects of Limiting Payments to Hospitals for Out-of-Network Care
There is growing interest among U.S. policymakers to use out-of-network payment limits to curb surprise medical bills and as a tool to control rising health care costs. How might such limits affect negotiated in-network prices and total payments for hospital care?
Mar 12, 2020
Research Brief
Options for funding the NHS and social care in the UK: How the UK general public would prefer extra funds to be raised
What is the publicly preferred way to raise additional funds needed to meet growing demand for health and social care. Options are taxation, insurance, or user charges. We analyse the preferences of the UK general public using a choice experiment.
Oct 7, 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
Journal Article
Public Acceptability of Health and Social Care Funding Options: Funding Options for the NHS and Social Care in the UK
An assessment of how popular different funding approaches for the NHS and social care are among the general public, as part of a wider study on feasible options for the future funding of health and social care in the UK.
Feb 20, 2019
Multimedia
Albert P. Williams Lecture on Health Policy: What's the Fair Price of a Drug?
In this Events @ RAND podcast, Ezekiel J. Emanuel delivers the 2018 Albert P. Williams Lecture on Health Policy. Emanuel explains why drug prices are so high and proposes a policy solution.
Oct 17, 2018
Journal Article
Identifying Options for Funding the NHS and Social Care in the UK: International Evidence
As part of a larger project identifying feasible options for the future funding of health & social care in the UK, this paper explores how 16 high-income countries have implemented changes to their funding systems to better meet the challenges ahead.
Jul 10, 2018
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
Effects of Removing Maternity Care and Mental Health Treatment from Coverage Requirements
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
Journal Article
Child Poverty in the United States Today: Introduction and Executive Summary
This executive summary summarizes what is known about the scope of childhood poverty in the United States today, as well as its effects on health and well-being for U.S children.
Apr 20, 2016
Project
Small Ideas for Saving Big Health Care Dollars
Big proposals to rein in health care spending in the United States have encountered stiff political and organizational resistance. But adopting a combination of smaller ideas could save the U.S. health care system a total of up to $26 billion a year.
Mar 8, 2016
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

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Researcher Spotlight

Loveline Chizobam Phillips

M.Phil. Student, Pardee RAND Graduate School, and Assistant Policy Researcher, RAND

Loveline Chizobam Phillips (she/her) is an M.Phil. student at the Pardee RAND Graduate School and an assistant policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. She has an M.Sc. in sustainable development from the University of St Andrews and a B.Sc. in economics from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.…
Rebecca Ann Lawrence

Research Assistant

Rebecca Lawrence is a research assistant at the RAND Corporation. She holds B.A.s in public health and brain and cognitive sciences as well as minors in psychology and dance from the University of Rochester. Her previous professional experiences include a community health internship at a health…

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