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Health Care Financing

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Health care systems may be financed in various ways, including through government funding, taxation, out-of-pocket payments, private insurance, and donations or voluntary aid. RAND research explores the effects of corporate and government health care financing policies on such groups as patients, businesses, hospitals, and physician-providers.

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The Potential Impacts of Single-Payer Health Care

Jan 23, 2019

Controlling costs while improving health care access dominates policy debates in Congress. In this Congressional Briefing, Jodi Liu discusses what policymakers need to know about "Medicare-for-All" and other single-payer proposals, and their likely effects on cost and access.
Report

Physicians Struggle to Keep Up with Changing Payment Models

Oct 24, 2018

Alternative payment models cause administrative burdens that take doctors away from patient care. Slowing the rate of change and simplifying payment models could help them focus on patients. And getting physicians' input on the design of new payment methods might improve their engagement.

Explore Health Care Financing

Periodical

Periodical

RAND Review: May-June 2019

This issue describes RAND research efforts to help schoolkids suffering from trauma; to help health care providers get better, more meaningful feedback; and to use technology to improve the lives of displaced people throughout the world.

Apr 29, 2019
Dissertation

Three Essays on Health Financing in Sub-Saharan Africa: Health Shocks, Health Insurance Uptake, and Financial Risk Protection

Series of three essays on health financing in Sub-Saharan Africa using quantitative and comparative case study methods.

Apr 12, 2019
Report

Spending Estimates Under Medicare for All

Under a Medicare for All plan similar to some proposals being discussed in Congress, total health expenditures would be an estimated 1.8 percent higher in 2019, relative to the status quo. While this is a small change in national spending, the federal government's health spending would increase substantially, rising by an estimated 221 percent.

Apr 10, 2019
Report

Perspectives of Physicians in Small Rural Practices on the Medicare Quality Payment Program

Significant concerns have been raised about the ability of small rural practices to participate in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Quality Payment Program. RAND researchers interviewed physicians to investigate these concerns.

Mar 5, 2019
News Release

Paying Patients to Use Lower-Price Health Providers Can Result in Savings

Paying people to use lower-price medical providers can help reduce health care spending. Examining a program that pays patients $25 to $500 for using a lower-price medical provider for each of 135 elective procedures, researchers found the effort led to a 2.1 percent reduction in the average price paid of all eligible services.

Mar 4, 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
Journal Article

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
Report

RAND Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D Contract Star Ratings Technical Expert Panel October 30th 2018 Meeting

On October 30, 2018, the RAND Corporation convened a Technical Expert Panel (TEP) web meeting to gather input on analyses that could be conducted to further enhance the Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D Contract Star Ratings program.

Jan 18, 2019
Blog

The Most Popular RAND Research of 2018

RAND serves as an objective source of facts that help inform the world's most pressing policy debates. When decisions are based on the best evidence, that's when public policy can have a positive impact on people's lives. We're highlighting the 10 research projects that RAND.org readers found most engaging this year.

Dec 21, 2018
Dissertation

Dissertation

Three Essays in Health Economics: Towards Alternative Payment Models for High-Value, High-Cost Medical Treatments

Tests how two different payment models could help address the uncertainty about clinical benefits and the high upfront cost of some emerging therapies.

Dec 17, 2018
Research Brief

Research Brief

Preliminary Feasibility Assessment of DoD-VA Purchased Care Integration

An integrated approach to purchasing health care for U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs could have important implications for access, quality, and costs but could face legislative, policy, or contractual challenges.

Nov 26, 2018
Report

Integrating Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs Purchased Care: Preliminary Feasibility Assessment

An integrated approach to purchasing health care for U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs could have important implications for access, quality, and costs but could face legislative, policy, or contractual challenges.

Nov 26, 2018
Commentary

Medicare for All: Sounds Good, but What Does It Mean?

Traditional Medicare is popular and therefore can lend a good brand name to coverage expansion proposals, but its limits can be significant for some patients. Those proposing and evaluating “Medicare for All” proposals should consider whether and how these limits are addressed.

Nov 19, 2018
Report

Practice Expenses Associated with Comprehensive Primary Care Capabilities

To help the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reimburse primary care practices for investing in "comprehensive primary care" capabilities, the authors developed and piloted a method for estimating related practice expenses.

Nov 15, 2018
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
News Release

News Release

Complex and Rapidly Changing Payment Models Challenge Physician Practices

Physician payment models are becoming more complex and the pace of change is increasing, creating challenges for physician practices that might hamper their ability to improve the quality and efficiency of care despite their willingness to change.

Oct 24, 2018
Research Brief

The Effects of Alternative Payment Models on Physician Practices: Follow-Up Study

Physician practice engagement with alternative payment models (APMs) would be enhanced by simpler APMs, a slower pace of change, greater support for new capabilities and timely data, and reexamination of practice response to APMs with financial risk.

Oct 24, 2018
Q&A

Committed to Improving Health Care Policy: Q&A with Jodi Liu

Jodi Liu, an associate policy researcher at RAND, studies how to deliver high-quality care and how to pay for it. She discusses her assessment of a single-payer health care proposal in New York State and the supply-and-demand challenges that might arise if an Alzheimer's treatment became available.

Oct 23, 2018

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