Skip to page content

Health Care Costs

Featured

Controlling spending while improving health care access, efficiency, and outcomes is a significant challenge—one that often dominates policy discussions. To help inform decisionmaking, RAND conducts studies that consider all aspects of health care costs, including medical costs, insurance coverage, reimbursement models, and consumer health care expenses.

News Release
Out-of-Pocket Cost of Naloxone May Keep Many Uninsured from Using Lifesaving Treatment
The cost of buying the opioid antidote naloxone is out of reach for many uninsured Americans, a hurdle that may keep the treatment from saving more people who overdose on opioids.
Aug 19, 2022
Commentary
Medicare Drug Price Negotiation: Key Decisions to Reach a 'Fair Price'
Government negotiation of Medicare drug prices—even for a small set of older, single-source drugs—is a remarkable policy development. But how exactly will the government do it?
Nov 7, 2022

Explore Health Care Costs

Journal Article
Economic Evaluation of Patient Direct Access to NHS Physiotherapy Services
Our aim was to undertake an economic evaluation of patient direct access to physiotherapy in the UK NHS by comparing the number of patients treated, waiting time, cost and health gain from a direct access pathway versus traditional GP-referral to NHS physiotherapy.
Sep 23, 2022
Journal Article
Physician Organizations' Use of Behavioral Nudges to Influence Physician Behavior
This paper investigates adoption of behavioral nudges by health system-affiliated physician organizations (POs), types of nudges being used, PO leader perceptions of nudge effectiveness, and implementation challenges.
Sep 20, 2022
Journal Article
Brief Cost Analysis of Surgical Personal Protective Equipment During the COVID-19 Pandemic
This study aimed to compare the costs incurred and saved from universal use of N95 respirators with surgical masks for operating room providers in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sep 15, 2022
Journal Article
Survey of Hospital Chargemaster Transparency
We compared hospital chargemaster data within a local hospital market where patients would reasonably try to shop or compare services.
Sep 15, 2022
Journal Article
Cost Effectiveness of Mailed Outreach Programs for Colorectal Cancer Screening: Analysis of a Pragmatic, Randomized Trial
Clinical guidelines for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening suggest use of either stool-based tests or colonoscopy. We conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis to compare 2 mailed outreach strategies to increase CRC screening.
Sep 15, 2022
News Release
Higher Premiums Not Always Linked to Better Health Care in Medicare Advantage Plans
Enrolling in a higher-cost Medicare Advantage plan may not always get seniors better-quality health care. Plans that charged a higher monthly premium provided on average only slightly better care as compared to plans with no monthly premium.
Aug 29, 2022
Blog
Diversity in the Military, Telemedicine Abortion, China and Taiwan: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the benefits of increasing and maintaining diversity in the armed forces, the challenges of telemedicine abortion, whether Indo-Pacific countries are backing China or Taiwan, and more.
Aug 26, 2022
Journal Article
Estimated Wasteful Spending on Aducanumab Dispensing in the U.S. Medicare Population: A Cross-Sectional Analysis
Aducanumab, a weight-dosed Alzheimer's drug, is available in two fixed-dose vial sizes. This may result in large amounts of discarded drug and wasteful spending. More-efficient vial sizes could save Medicare money if the drug is approved for widespread use.
Aug 11, 2022
Testimony
Health Care Affordability: State Policy Options to Control Costs
When the costs to provide employer-sponsored health insurance increase, it burdens workers and their families. What are some potential policy options to address these high costs, particularly in markets like Texas where 48 percent of people have health insurance through an employer or union?
Aug 4, 2022
Journal Article
Improving Diet Quality in U.S. Adults: A 30-Year Health and Economic Impact Microsimulation
Microsimulation (Future Adult Model) predicted 30-year improved diet quality impacts across 12 demographic groups. Diet improvement reduced prevalence of heart disease by 7.6% to 13.8% across groups and reduced healthcare costs by $10B in year 30.
Jul 12, 2022
Journal Article
Diet Quality Improvement and 30-Year Population Health and Economic Outcomes: A Microsimulation Study
Microsimulation (Future Adult Model) predicted 30-year US population changes from improved diet quality. Diet improvement reduced prevalence of diabetes, heart disease and stroke by 11%, 7%, and 10%, and reduced healthcare costs by $144B in year 30.
Jul 12, 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
Blog
Extremism Online, Russia's Military, Preventing Police Killings: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the internet's role in stoking extremism and hate, how Russia has failed its military personnel, a research roadmap to help prevent police killings in the United States, and more.
May 20, 2022
News Release
Private Health Plans During 2020 Paid Hospitals 224 Percent of What Medicare Would Pay
Prices paid to hospitals during 2020 by employers and private insurers for both inpatient and outpatient services averaged 224 percent of what Medicare would have paid, with wide variation in prices among states.
May 17, 2022
Report
Private Health Plans Paid Hospitals 224 Percent of What Medicare Would Pay
During 2020, prices paid to hospitals by employers and private insurers for both inpatient and outpatient services averaged 224 percent of what Medicare would have paid for the same services. Prices among states varied widely.
May 17, 2022
Journal Article
Cost-Effectiveness of Community-to-Clinic Tailored Navigation for Colorectal Cancer Screening in an Underserved Population: Economic Evaluation Alongside a Group-Randomized Trial
Adding community-to-clinic tailored navigation to a community-based colorectal cancer screening promotion program may be highly cost-effective.
May 13, 2022
Journal Article
Estimating the Cost of Industry Investment in Drug Research and Development: A Review of Methods and Results
We review and synthesize papers estimating drug R&D costs incurred by industry. We find a substantial range of per-drug costs, from $113 million–$6 billion. We discuss the data sources, methods, and assumptions used in each study and suggest areas for future research and data collection.
Apr 22, 2022
Journal Article
Trends In Hospital Prices Paid By Private Health Plans Varied Substantially Across The US
We describe how commercial hospital payment rates changed relative to Medicare rates during 2012–19 and how trends differed by hospital referral region.
Apr 20, 2022
Blog
Employing Insurgency in Ukraine, U.S. Hospital Prices, Reaching the Middle Class: RAND Weekly Recap
This week, we discuss the potential value of an insurgent campaign in Ukraine; addressing L.A.’s housing crisis; lessons from the 2017 battle for Raqqa; a look at U.S. hospital prices; Americans’ options for reaching the middle class; and how to help single mothers get out of poverty.
Apr 8, 2022

Previous
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Next

RAND Topic:
Health Care Costs

Topic Synonyms:
Healthcare Costs;
Medical Costs

Research conducted by

RAND Health Care

Researcher Spotlight

Peter S. Hussey

Vice President and Director, RAND Health Care

Peter Hussey is vice president and director of RAND Health Care, a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, and a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Previously, he directed the RAND Health Services Delivery Systems program. As director of RAND Health Care, he manages one of…
Peter J. Huckfeldt

Adjunct Researcher

Peter Huckfeldt is an adjunct economist at the RAND Corporation. His research focuses on payment reform for health care providers, the organization of health care providers, health insurance benefit design, and chronic disease management. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from the…

Explore Our People »