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The U.S. health insurance model frequently costs more and provides less care than systems in other Western nations. RAND's health insurance research began in 1971 with the 15-year Health Insurance Experiment, the only community-based experimental study of how cost-sharing arrangements affect people’s use of health services, their quality of care, and their health status. Subsequent research has continued to inform the U.S. policy debate.

Report
Medicare for 50-to-64-Year-Olds
Allowing Americans aged 50 to 64 to buy into Medicare would lower health care premiums for the group. But it would also drive up costs for younger people who buy health insurance on Affordable Care Act exchanges.
Nov 18, 2019
Research Brief
How Would a Public Option on Health Insurance Affect Costs and Coverage?
Interest in a government-sponsored health insurance plan with publicly determined provider rates is growing. An analysis of four such public option plans finds that lower provider payment rates would lower premiums. But the effect on enrollees also depends on tax credits. And changes to the number of uninsured would be small.
May 28, 2020

Explore Health Insurance

Journal Article
Have Individual Medical Savings Accounts Accumulated Meaningful Balances After 10 Years of Enrolment? Empirical Evidence from China
China's medical savings accounts have not succeeded in promoting individual savings for medical care, especially among vulnerable groups such as women and the elderly.
May 11, 2017
Report
The Effects of the American Health Care Act
The American Health Care Act would have reduced insurance enrollment by an estimated 14.2 million people in 2020 and by 19.7 million people by 2026. The uninsured would have been older, sicker, and poorer than those currently uninsured. Also, the AHCA would have increased the deficit by $38 billion in 2020 while reducing it by $5 billion in 2026.
May 3, 2017
Journal Article
Variation in Dermatologist Visits by Sociodemographic Characteristics
Medicaid enrollees are less likely than those with private insurance to see a dermatologist or receive care for a skin condition, suggesting that efforts need to be made to increase access to skin specialists.
Apr 26, 2017
Multimedia
Drama over Health Care Continues
In this Call with the Experts, RAND senior economist Christine Eibner discusses the Affordable Care Act, what policymakers should consider, and changes that the current administration could make.
Apr 11, 2017
Multimedia
Repeal, Replace, Repair, or Improve? The Future of the ACA
In this March 2017 congressional briefing, RAND senior economist, Christine Eibner, discusses how individuals and employers will respond to major health care policy changes as the new administration reassesses the Affordable Care Act.
Mar 17, 2017
Journal Article
Impact of the Affordable Care Act's Dependent Coverage Expansion on the Health Care and Health Status of Young Adults: What Do We Know So Far
Under the ACA's dependent coverage expansion, there has been an increase in behavioral health treatment and a decrease in high out-of-pocket expenses and ER visits among young adults.
Mar 14, 2017
News Release
Oregon Has Options to Move Toward Universal Health Coverage; Repeal of the Affordable Care Act Would Make All Options ...
Oregon has options for reforming health care financing to expand coverage and meet broader goals, though they differ in their feasibility, tradeoffs and financing requirements.
Jan 19, 2017
Research Brief
Oregon's Options to Overhaul Health Care Financing: Health Care Reform 2.0?
This analysis of three options to reform health care payment in Oregon (two state-based plans that would ensure coverage for all state residents and a state-sponsored plan offered in Oregon's nongroup market) found benefits and trade-offs for each.
Jan 19, 2017
Report
Oregon's Options for Financing Health Care
Federal health care reform had just begun in 2013 when Oregon authorized a study to improve how the state pays for health care. A comparison of the projected impacts and feasibility of four options can help Oregon's stakeholders choose the option that best suits their needs.
Jan 19, 2017
Report
Dr. Dynasaur 2.0: Modeling the Effects of Expanding Vermont's Dr. Dynasaur Program
RAND researchers assessed an expansion of Vermont's Dr. Dynasaur program that would cover all residents age 25 and younger, modeling the effects on health insurance coverage, costs, and premiums.
Jan 18, 2017
Multimedia
The RAND Health Insurance Experiment: A Retrospective at 40 Years
In June 2016, RAND hosted a two-day celebration to mark the 40th anniversary of the RAND Health Insurance Experiment (HIE), the largest, most comprehensive, evidence-based health policy study in U.S. history.
Jan 13, 2017
Commentary
Repeal-and-Delay Would Make Budget Neutrality for ACA Replacement Difficult
As Congress considers repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, it will need to consider how federal budget scoring can affect the fate of legislation. Depending on the ultimate cost of a replacement, finding enough savings to offset costs while maintaining budget neutrality could make it hard to pass a replacement.
Jan 11, 2017
Commentary
Can a Continuous Coverage Requirement Produce a Healthy Insurance Market?
A continuous coverage requirement aims to discourage individuals from waiting until they become sick to buy insurance. This works well in theory. But there is little evidence on how it might work in practice.
Jan 4, 2017
Report
Effects of the ACA's Medicaid Expansion on Health Insurance Enrollment
Increases in insurance coverage were larger in states that expanded Medicaid, but take-up was lower among men, Hispanics, and adults under 36.
Dec 29, 2016
Commentary
Insuring Younger Adults Through the ACA's Marketplaces: Options to Expand Enrollment
Whether or not the Affordable Care Act is repealed, having young adults participate in the individual health insurance market remains critical to achieving affordable premiums for everyone.
Dec 16, 2016
Journal Article
Knowledge About Health Insurance and Finance Linked to Higher Rates of Health Coverage
Uninsured individuals who knew more about health insurance and finance were more likely to gain coverage under the ACA. Policies and programs aiming to reduce the numbers of uninsured should consider the financial literacy and health insurance knowledge of the groups they are trying to reach.
Dec 12, 2016
Journal Article
Lactation Support Services and Breastfeeding Initiation: Evidence from the Affordable Care Act
The likelihood that mothers with private health insurance would start breastfeeding increased by 2.5 percentage points after the Affordable Care Act mandated the coverage of lactation support services.
Nov 28, 2016
Research Brief
How Does Expanding Health Insurance Coverage Affect Workers' Compensation Costs?
The Affordable Care Act's expansion of coverage for people under age 26 led to a 1-percent reduction in uninsurance, equating to a 0.8-percent decrease in workers' compensation claim frequency, and a roughly 1-percent decrease in overall claim costs.
Nov 22, 2016
News Release
Knowledge About Health Insurance and Finance Linked to Higher Rates of Health Coverage
Policies and programs aiming to reduce the numbers of uninsured should take into account the financial literacy and health insurance knowledge of the groups they are trying to reach.
Nov 17, 2016
Journal Article
Hillary Clinton's Health Care Reform Proposals: Anticipated Effects on Insurance Coverage, Out-of-Pocket Costs, and the Federal Deficit
The Clinton health care proposal would increase the number of insured individuals and decrease consumers' health spending relative to current law. However, the policies with the largest coverage gains also increase the federal deficit the most.
Nov 4, 2016

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RAND Topic:
Health Insurance

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Molly Waymouth

Senior Policy Analyst

Molly Waymouth (she/her) is a senior policy analyst at the RAND Corporation. She is accomplished in policy research methods and project management with experience researching and managing in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. Waymouth’s research focuses on topics pertaining to health…
Andrew W. Mulcahy

Senior Policy Researcher

Andrew Mulcahy is a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. His key research areas are prescription drugs, payment for health care services and drugs, and policy evaluation in general. He routinely uses large-scale health care claims and transactional data in his research.

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