Aging and Health
Overall life expectancy in the United States increased dramatically throughout the 20th century, and the number of older Americans will be at its highest in the coming decades. Older patients are a particularly important focus for quality-of-care evaluation because they are at risk of serious declines in health and function as a result of poor care and because they use a large amount of health care resources. Challenges for health policy include caring for elders in nursing homes and in the community, assessing the quality of that care, designing and monitoring payment systems for that care, and building interdisciplinary academic capacity in geriatrics. Our current research efforts in these areas are highlighted below.
Profiles of Current Research
Caring for Elders in Nursing Homes
Highlights of Recent Studies
A Look Inside the "Doughnut Hole": How Drug-Benefit Limits Affect Retiree Prescription Use — 2007
High-cost enrollees in a retiree plan that capped yearly drug benefits at $2,500 discontinued medication at higher rates than comparable patients in an uncapped plan.Health Coverage Options for Military Retirees — 2007
Although the majority of military retirees under age 65 who completed a recent survey have access to civilian insurance, only half of those chose to avail themselves of that insurance, likely because of the growing gap between civilian health insurance premiums and Tricare (the military health care plan) enrollment fees.Future Health and Medical Care Spending of the Elderly: Implications for Medicare — 2006
An evaluation of how changes in medical technology, disease, and disability may affect Medicare spending for the population age 65 and older.Redefining and Reforming Health Care for the Last Years of Life — 2006
An examination of the health care available to Americans in the final years of life, the demographic trends that will increase the need for end-of-life care, and the methods available to address effectively the growing need for health care at the end of life.Reviewing the Returns of Research: Capturing Payback from Funding by the Arthritis Research Campaign — 2007
A detailed retrospective analysis of outputs and outcomes of funded projects, to show how well new knowledge is translated into practice—the most important outcome for people depending on scientific advances for improved treatment. Research charities, as funders closely linked to patient stakeholders, have a particular interest in scrutinizing the outcomes, or paybacks, from funded research and in promoting investments that lead to effective translation.How Cost Sharing Affects Use of Drugs by the Chronically Ill — 2006
An examination of whether raising beneficiaries' co-payments for drugs discourages use of more-expensive pharmaceuticals and reduces overall spending on drugs.
Related Web Sites
RAND Southern California Evidence-Based Practice Center
www.rand.org/health/centers/epc/projects/aging.html
RAND Center for Population Health and Health Disparities
RAND Roybal Center for Health Policy Simulation
ACOVE (Assessing Care of Vulnerable Elders)
UCLA Older Americans Independence Center (Pepper Center)
www.geronet.ucla.edu/centers/pepper/ (you will leave the RAND website)
Building Interdisciplinary Geriatric Health Care Research Centers
Working with Congress
RAND's Washington Office of Congressional Relations (OCR) furthers RAND's mission to provide objective analysis and effective solutions by disseminating research results to Congress and federal agencies. The OCR publishes a monthly electronic newsletter featuring current work on health policy. Contact: Shirley Ruhe (Shirley_Ruhe@rand.org) or Kristy Anderson (kristy@rand.org).
The RAND Health Congressional Newsletter
Top