The CDC Improves Policy Prioritization with up to 30% Less Costs
The Issue You Tackled
Proposals to improve the US health system are commonly supported by models that have only a few variables and overlook certain processes that may delay, dilute, or defeat intervention effects.
What You Actually Did
An evidence-based dynamic simulation model with a broad national scope was developed and used to analyze various policy proposals.

The Results
The results suggest that expanding insurance coverage and improving health care quality would likely improve health status but would also raise costs and worsen health inequity, whereas a strategy that also strengthens primary care capacity and emphasizes health protection would improve health status, reduce inequities, and lower costs. A software interface allows diverse stakeholders to interact with the model through a policy simulation game called HealthBound.
Name | National Health System Reform Strategy |
---|---|
Modelers | Bobby Milstein, Jack Homer, Gary Hirsch |
Client/Participant | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) |
Client Type | Government |
The article “Why Behavioral And Environmental Interventions Are Needed To Improve Health At Lower Cost” published in Health Affairs was winner of the Public Health Services Research (PHSR) Article of the Year.
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11th Simulation Workshop (SW23)
11th SIMULATION WORKSHOP (SW23) Monday 27 – Wednesday 29 March 2023 National Oceanography Centre, Southampton The OR Society’s Simulation Workshop brings together our community of experts working in the field of modelling and simulation. Hosted at the National...
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