Cost Containment and Coverage Expansion

Publication Date:

Publisher:

Author(s): M. Merlis

Research Area: Health

Type: White Paper

Abstract:

This paper begins with a discussion of whether health coverage expansion and cost controls must go hand-in-hand or whether they can be treated independently. It then describes commonly proposed coverage approaches and available savings measures before considering how the two categories might combine. Because the number of possible combinations is quite large, the discussion focuses on the savings measures that have received the greatest attention from policy-makers.



This paper treats coverage expansion approaches and cost containment approaches as two independent categories in the menu of health reform options. In practice, some combinations may work together better than others, and so the author focuses on the interplay of different approaches to coverage and savings.