Analyses of Health Care Reform Options for the Postelection Period

The Urban Institute team will handle four main tasks: 1. Development of new summary metrics for measuring and comparing the affordability of insurance and health care under different policy proposals, including those advanced by Republicans. The Fund’s Council of Economic Advisors and “kitchen cabinet” will be asked for input in developing these metrics. 2. Further analysis of two reform packages that were modeled for the 2019 project, likely those reforms that build on the ACA and achieve universal coverage. The Urban team will focus on how coverage would shift for people in different income groups. In collaboration with the Tax Policy Center, the team will also examine options for financing these reforms. 3. Analysis of three policy changes proposed by most Democratic candidates to significantly increase access to affordable coverage: elimination of the “firewall” between employer-based insurance and marketplace coverage, including creation of a public plan option, elimination of the Medicaid coverage gap, and autoenrollment. 4. Assessment of smaller-scale reforms, such as a federal reinsurance program, a fix for the family coverage glitch, and others. An assessment of impact on the federal budget and health spending will be made for each.