Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics

Health Policy Simulation

Research Program

Health Policy Simulation

For more than a decade, the Schaeffer Center has been developing economic models to answer salient policy questions about aging in the United States.

Program Leadership

Bryan Tysinger, PhD

Director, Health Policy Simulation, USC Schaeffer Center
Senior Scholar, USC Schaeffer Institute
Research Associate Professor, USC Price School of Public Policy

Modeling the Future

The pioneering Future Elderly Model (FEM) models trends in health, functional status, health spending, pharmaceutical innovation, labor supply and earnings for individuals over age 50 in the U.S. The FEM has grown in reach and effectiveness from its inception in 1997 to today, assisted by funding support over the years from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Labor and others. In addition, the microsimulation team has created a global network of collaborators who are building out country-level FEM-based models in 17 countries. An extension of FEM, the Future Adult Model (FAM), models similar functions for individuals ages 25 to 50.

Models

Showcasing the FEM

Lower-Middle-Class Americans Near Retirement Are Worse Off Than 20 Years Ago, New USC and Columbia Study Shows

‘Forgotten middle’ Americans face poorer health, worse economic outcomes and lower homeownership rates, along with increased disability in old age.

Aging

Read: Lower-Middle-Class Americans Near Retirement Are Worse Off Than 20 Years Ago, New USC and Columbia Study Shows

Microsimulation Researchers

Latest Work Leveraging the FEM View All

News

Dementia Will Cost the U.S. $818 Billion in 2026, USC-Led Study Finds

People with dementia and their families bear staggering, often-hidden costs. Tracking changes in cost over time can help inform decisions about treatment and resource allocation.