October 2008
Lewin contact: John Sheils
On October 8, 2008, The Lewin Group released an in-depth assessment of the health care reform policies proposed by the 2008 presidential nominees. The analysis incorporated publicly available information as well as information provided by the campaigns and from interviews with McCain and Obama health policy advisors. The report details how much these policies would cost if implemented, who will be affected, and more.
Expertise Area: Health Reform
June 2008
The Commonwealth Fund
Lewin contact: John Sheils
This document is a compilation of the technical documentation developed for the Commonwealth Fund analysis of options for reducing health spending growth entitled “Bending the Curve.” In this analysis, we provided cost analyses for 15 alternatives for reducing health care costs. We developed these analyses with the Lewin Group Health Benefits Simulation Model (HBSM) and the best available data. For each of the 15 options, we provide a narrative summary of the proposal, a review of the available research and evidence on the option and our estimates of the program’s impact over five- and ten-year periods.
Client Area: Foundations
Expertise Area: Health Reform
April 2008
Testimony before the Senate Special Committee on Aging
Lewin contact: John Sheils
On April 3, 2008John Sheils testified before the Senate Special Committee on Aging. The subject of his testimorny was the likely impacts of health reform proposals on coverage and costs for people age 55 to 64, often referred to as the “near-elderly.”
Expertise Area: Health Reform
January 2008
Economic Policy Institute
Lewin contact: John Sheils
For the Economic Policy Institute, The Lewin Group estimated the cost impact of the Health Care for America Proposal. Under the Proposal, employers would be required to provide coverage or pay a payroll tax to have their workers covered under a newly created national health insurance pool called Health Care for America (HCA). Modeled on Medicare, Health Care for America would offer a single Medicare-like fee-for-service option and a selection of Health Maintenance Organizations or other private managed care plans. People who do not have employer-sponsored insurance would be covered under HCA, including those now covered under Medicaid and the State’s Children’s Health Insurance Program. The Lewin Group's analysis estimates that the Health Care for America Proposal would cover 46.5 million uninsured people without increasing national spending for health care, largely through lower provider reimbursement, administrative simplification and other features of the proposal.
Expertise Area: Health Reform
December 2007
Colorado Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care Reform
Lewin contact: John Sheils
The Lewin Group was engaged by the Colorado Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Reform to assist in developing and analyzing alternative proposals to expand health insurance coverage and reform the Colorado health care system. Lewin first developed a “baseline” projection of what health care coverage and costs would be in Colorado in 2008 under current law for major stakeholder groups, including governments, providers, employers and families. Lewin then estimated the cost and coverage effects of several proposals to expand insurance coverage for major stakeholder groups in Colorado.
Client Area: State and Local Governments
Expertise Area: Health Reform
June 2007
Wisconsin Health Project
Lewin contact: John Sheils
This study provides a detailed analysis of the economic impact of a proposal to provide health insurance coverage to residents of Wisconsin called the “Wisconsin Health Plan (WHP).” The Lewin Group estimated the cost of the program and its impact on health spending for major stakeholder groups in the state including governments, employers, families and providers.
Expertise Area: Health Reform
January 2007
Lewin contact: John Sheils
The Lewin Group conducted an independent analysis of the impact of President Bush's health insurance proposal. The analysis was conducted using The Lewin Group Health Benefits Simulation Model (HSBM). HSBM is a micro-simulation model of the U.S. health care system designed to estimate the impact of alternative health reform models on coverage and expenditures for employers, governments and households.
The study found that President Bush’s health insurance proposal would save families money and reduce the number of uninsured, but the major tax reductions would go to families with incomes above $50,000. The Bush plan would also increase the U.S. budget deficit by $61.8 billion in the first year. The increase in the deficit would decline over the following decade. One key aspect of the plan is the number of uninsured who would be covered under this new plan. The Lewin Group study shows that the President’s proposal would reduce the number of uninsured – projected to be 48.4 million people in 2009 – by about 9.2 million people. One unintended consequence would force about 2.3 million workers and dependents to become uninsured, when they would lose employer coverage.
The Lewin Group study shows that the government stands to lose money because tax revenues would be reduced - tax filers would count employer health care spending as taxable income but would receive a deduction, whether they have employer coverage or private non-group coverage. Replacing the existing tax exclusion with the deduction would increase the federal deficit by $61.8 billion in 2009. This is an average federal expenditure of $6,720 per newly insured person. However, the impact on the federal deficit would decline from an increase of $61.8 billion in 2009 to a net reduction in the deficit of $45.3 billion in 2018. The net cost of the program over the 2009 to 2018 period would be $153.8 billion.
Please click on the following links to view the detailed analysis tables or the summary of the Health Benefits Simulation Model.
Expertise Area: Health Reform
December 2006
Lewin contact: John Sheils
The “Healthy Americans Act” (HAA) establishes a centrally financed system of private health insurance for all Americans not covered by Medicare, that is at least as comprehensive as the coverage provided to members of Congress. Employers give the money they now spend for health insurance to the worker as wages. Participants would chose from a selection of private plans offered through regional purchasing pools called “Health Help Agencies” (HHA's) on the basis of price. The competitive incentives created under the bill would reduce health spending by about 4.5 percent over the next 10 years.
Client Area: Federal Government
Expertise Area: Health Reform
December 2006
United Hospital Fund; The Commonwealth Fund
Lewin contact: John Sheils
For the United Hospital Fund and The Commonwealth Fund, The Lewin Group estimated the cost and coverage impacts of a variety of options to achieve universal health insurance coverage in New York. The Lewin Group analyzed the expansion scenarios using its Health Benefits Simulation Model.
The full report of the project, A Blueprint for Universal Health Insurance Coverage in New York, is available on The Commonwealth Fund's website.
Client Area: Foundations
Expertise Area: Health Reform
June 2006
Mississippi Office of the Governor, Division of Medicaid
Lewin contact: John Sheils
The Lewin Group developed an analysis of options to expand coverage to the uninsured in the state of Mississippi and estimated their impact on government spending, employers and households. The policy options included in the analysis were selected to cover the range of policy recommendations developed under the Mississippi State Planning Grant project. These policy options include expanding coverage under public programs, expanding private insurance coverage and universal coverage options.
Client Area: State and Local Governments
Expertise Area: Health Reform
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