From 2007 to 2009, staff at the health research division of the RAND Corporation created a microsimulation model that permits policy-makers, health care experts and the media to evaluate the potential effects of a variety of health reform proposals on several important issues, including health care coverage and cost.

This project was part of the Comprehensive Assessment of Reform Efforts (COMPARE) Initiative that RAND Health established in 2005 to help the general public and policy-makers sort out various aspects of different health reform proposals and evaluate their effects.

Key Results
RAND Corporation staff and consultants:

• Compiled information on the state of the United States health care system
• Created a list of the most common health reform options discussed in federal, state and private health care reform proposals or legislation
• Created a framework to analyze the effects of different policy options on nine performance criteria
• Developed a microsimulation model that allows users to evaluate the potential effects of a variety of health reform proposals by:
  • Plugging in different variables to explore the impact of various proposals on specific outcomes, with customized graphs and tables for illustration
• Launched a Web site to disseminate the results of the project through peer-reviewed papers, fact sheets, briefings and webinars.

Funding
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) supported the project between February 2007 and October 2008 with two grants that totaled $849,999.