A RAND study comparing hospital prices across states provided insights into the drivers of high healthcare spending in Michigan, explained Bret Jackson, president of the Economic Alliance for Michigan.
A RAND study comparing hospital prices across states provided insights into the drivers of high healthcare spending in Michigan, explained Bret Jackson, president of the Economic Alliance for Michigan.
Transcript
Michigan recently participated in a RAND study comparing hospital prices for privately insured patients to a Medicare benchmark. What were the results?
The results showed wide variation of hospital prices, especially outpatient prices, across the country. And it was really staggering what the differences were from state to state. Michigan actually fared pretty well in having some of the lowest prices in the country. However, we know that our premiums are above average for the states that are in the study and that total spending of healthcare is high in Michigan. And so, now that we know that prices are low, we know that the problem lies in utilization.
This was version 2.0 of the RAND study. What was the purpose of it and how did it differ from the 1.0 version? What is next?
They had done the study, they had just looked at Indiana, and then afterwards they were like, “Okay, well this seems like it’s high, but we have no idea how that compares to anybody else,” because they had no benchmark. So the 2.0 study was a 25-state study, looking at how Indiana compared to all the other states that participated. Now we’re trying to look at a 3.0 study, where we’re trying for a 50-state strategy so we can compare how everybody’s doing.
AI, GLP-1s Among Topics to Be Discussed During ASPC Annual Meeting
July 28th 2025The American Society for Preventive Cardiology (ASPC) Congress on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention features multiple sessions on different methods of treating and preventing cardiovascular disease, including through the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists.
Read More
Mental Health Awareness: Transforming Workplace Support and Engagement
May 20th 2025Explore how employers enhance workplace mental health by fostering a culture of support and engagement, focusing on holistic well-being strategies in this interview with Jim Kinville, MA, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Listen
Across 8 Trials, Ruxolitinib Cream Shows Favorable Safety in Pediatric AD
July 25th 2025A poster at the Society for Pediatric Dermatology Annual Meeting presented an integrated safety analysis showing rare or no serious adverse events linked to topical Janus kinase inhibitor use in children with atopic dermatitis (AD).
Read More