RAND debuts tool to evaluate US health proposals

The USA's RAND Corp has launched an on-line tool to provide policymakers and interested parties with a unique way of understanding and evaluating  the effects and unintended consequences of health care reform proposals  certain to be introduced in the new 111th Congress and beyond.

COMPARE (Comprehensive Assessment of Reform Efforts) is a  first-of-its-kind on-line resource that synthesizes what is known about  the current heath care system, provides information on proposals to  modify the system and delivers insight about how potential policy  changes are likely to affect health care delivery and costs in the USA.

The centerpiece of COMPARE is a policy options "dashboard" that offers  both a snapshot and an in-depth look at the implications that various  policy changes could have on a range of outcomes like costs to  government and others, quality of care and access to care, as well as  the ease with which changes could be implemented. The dashboard also  depicts gaps in our knowledge about the consequences of changes in our  health care system.