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Health policy research roundup

Health Affairs: Enrollment Is Driving Medicaid Costs—But Two Targets Can Yield Savings - "Although Medicaid spending has grown faster than the rate of increase in national health spending, much of this is explained by increased enrollment," write the authors of this paper, who present data showing that "[p]er enrollee, Medicaid spending actually compares favorably to increases in medical care prices and gross domestic product."

7 Nov 2009

Majority of U.S. physicians say patients have difficulty paying for medications and care

Fifty-eight percent of primary care doctors in the U.S. report their patients often have difficulty paying for medications and care, and half of U.S. doctors spend substantial time dealing with restrictions insurance companies place on their patients' care, according to findings from the 2009 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey published online today in the journal Health Affairs.

5 Nov 2009

Experts favor sweeping changes to Medicare-reforms to help support broader health system reform

A vast majority of leaders in health care and health policy believe Medicare has been successful in providing access to care and stable coverage to the elderly and disabled individuals; however only a small percentage think the program has realized its potential to achieve other important goals, like using its leverage as the country's largest purchaser of services to control costs and promote a high performance health system.

4 Nov 2009

Heart, cancer doctors get break on scheduled Medicare pay cuts

Heart and cancer doctors will get a smaller fee cut next year from Medicare, the U.S. government program for the elderly, than the Obama administration first sought in a move to shift money to family physicians," Bloomberg reports. Earlier this year, Medicare officials said they would cut 10 percent of payments for the two specialties. Now, they plan on making the reductions over four years, instead.

2 Nov 2009

New report analyzes similarities, differences, potential impacts and costs of current health reform bills

A new Commonwealth Fund report analyzes the similarities, differences, potential impacts, and costs of current bills passed by the five committees of jurisdiction in the United States Congress: Finance Committee and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committees in the Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives' Ways and Means, Education and Labor, and Energy and Commerce committees.

24 Oct 2009

Recent health policy studies and analyses

The Urban Institute: Age Rating Under Comprehensive Health Care Reform: Implications for Coverage, Costs, and Household Financial Burdens - The authors of this study brief compare the "financial implications of the premium rating policy," as outlined in the House Tri-Committee proposal (H.R. 3200), across households of different ages, incomes, and sizes.

23 Oct 2009

Gloomy health care statistics in Texas top state news

New outlets report on a variety of health issues at the state level including gloomy health statistics and the rising cost of premiums for sick workers in Texas, a Medicaid program that could provide a model for national health care reform in North Carolina and Medicaid cuts in Michigan.

19 Oct 2009

Persistent, growing disparities underscore the need for national reform

The cost and quality of health care, as well as access to care and health outcomes, continue to vary widely among states, according to the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System's second state scorecard report released today.

9 Oct 2009

Health care varies significantly among states, Study finds

A new Commonwealth Fund study shows wide disparities in health care across states.

8 Oct 2009

User's guide to refocus and reform American health care

Health Care Will Not Reform Itself: A User's Guide to Refocusing and Reforming American Health Care, is the latest installment from acclaimed author and health care industry power George C. Halvorson.

8 Oct 2009

U.S. lags behind industrialized countries on preventable deaths

The United States lags behind other wealthy countries on "preventable deaths," those caused by illnesses and injuries that should not kill at an early age, and it has been falling further behind over the past decade.

6 Oct 2009

Health care reform: Detailing women's stake in the debate

The Times reports: "Women need more health care than men because of the combined demands of pregnancy and family planning. ... Partly as a result, young women typically must pay more than young men for individual health insurance, unless they live in one of 10 states where 'gender rating' is illegal.

29 Sep 2009

Health policy research roundup

Implementation Choices for the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 - This report examines two key areas of the implementation process of the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) of 2009 - outreach and enrollment, and quality of care - and issues a set of recommendations. "Recommendations include: giving funding priority to states that will adopt or maintain key simplifications… ensuring quality measures focus on priority health needs for children, and building quality measurement and improvement capabilities into electronic health information systems, among others," according to a Commonwealth Fund description of the report (Simpson, Fairbrother, Touschner and Guyer, 9/10).

18 Sep 2009

Health policy research roundup

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: A Snapshot of U.S. Physicians: Key Findings from the 2008 Health Tracking Physician Survey - This brief reviews findings from the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) 2008 Health Tracking Physician Survey, a national survey including the responses of more than 4,700 U.S. physicians who provide "at least 20 hours per week of direct patient care."

11 Sep 2009

Center for Health Studies is renamed as SEATTLE-Group Health Research Institute

SEATTLE-Group Health Research Institute is the new name of Group Health Center for Health Studies. Since 1983, it has been doing research to improve health and health care for all. The Institute is the research arm of Group Health Cooperative, and it is changing its name to reflect this relationship more clearly.

10 Sep 2009

Health reform proposals under consideration to benefit small business owners and employees most: Report

Small business owners and employees are among those who stand to benefit the most from provisions in some of the current health reform proposals under consideration by Congress according to a Commonwealth Fund report released today.

9 Sep 2009

Lessons for America: comparing health systems across Europe

Forbes published a package of articles and opinion pieces called "Public Vs. Private Health Care," which compares health care systems across Europe.

4 Sep 2009

Tort reform and changes to doctor payment could cut health costs

Limiting medical malpractice lawsuits and changing the doctor payment system are being debated as possible ways to make health care more cost-effective.

3 Sep 2009

Research round-up: Highlights from recent releases

American Health Care Association (AHCA): State-by-State Medicare Cuts to Nursing Homes -- "A new [AHCA] analysis of the pending House health reform bill [HR 3200], combined with the impact of a recently-enacted Medicare regulation cutting Medicare-funded nursing home care by $12 billion over ten years, finds seniors in fifteen states requiring nursing and rehabilitative care will face total funding cuts in excess of $1 billion over that same time period," according to an AHCA description of the study. "The assessment was based on the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score of both HR 3200 and the recent CMS funding rule, along with Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) utilization data." A breakdown of each of the 15 states facing ten-year billion dollar cuts to Medicare-funded nursing homes is available online (8/20).

28 Aug 2009

Premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance projected to double in 10 years

Nationally, family premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance increased 119 percent between 1999 and 2008, and could increase another 94 percent to an average $23,842 per family by 2020 if cost growth continues on its current course, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report.

20 Aug 2009