Alternatives to the ACA

Using the COMPARE model, RAND researchers have assessed the effects of modifying the ACA or replacing it with another plan.

• Modifications include repealing the individual mandate, modifying tax credit subsidies, revising some of the market regulations, and modifying Medicaid expansion.
• A set of proposals suggests replacing the ACA with a single payer plan.
• We analyzed the Patient Choice, Affordability, Responsibility, and Empowerment (CARE) Act offered by Senators Burr, Hatch, and Upton in 2016. The plan was not enacted.
• We also assessed how the American Health Care Act (AHCA), passed by the House in March 6, 2017 but not enacted, would affect health care coverage and federal spending.
• We estimate the impact of adding a public option to the ACA marketplaces, a proposal advanced by the Biden presidential campaign.