Commonwealth Fund News and Research

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Survey finds Medicare beneficiaries happier with coverage than younger people on private plans

The poll results, published in Health Affairs, found that 8 percent of seniors said their coverage was "fair" or "poor" while 20 percent of those with a plan offered through work said that.

20 Jul 2012

First Edition: July 19, 2012

Today's headlines include a variety of stories exploring public opinions about the health law, the upcoming election and the Supreme Court.

19 Jul 2012

Geographic adjustments not optimal tools to tackle larger national policy goals

Changing the way that Medicare payments are adjusted to account for regional variations in the cost of providing care as recommended by a previous report from the Institute of Medicine would result in payment increases for some hospitals and practitioners and decreases for others, concludes the Phase II report from the IOM study.

19 Jul 2012

American women fare worse in health coverage than those in 10 countries with universal care

A new Commonwealth Fund report shows that women in the United States are in much worse shape, health care-wise, than women in 10 nations that have universal health care. Even insured American women are more likely to go without needed health care because of the cost and difficulty paying medical bills. The report was published online July 13. According to the report, the Affordable Care Act has brought coverage to millions of women already and is expected to improve women's health care in coming years.

17 Jul 2012

Uninsured U.S. women more likely to struggle with medical bills and go without needed care

Twenty percent of U.S. women (18.7 million) ages 19-64 were uninsured in 2010, up from 15 percent (12.8 million) in 2000, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report on women's health care. An additional 16.7 million women were underinsured in 2010, compared with 10.3 million in 2003.

16 Jul 2012

Some health system changes will move forward, regardless of the Supreme Court ruling

News outlets report that a "quiet revolution" in how care is delivered is already taking place across the country that closely tracks many of the changes advanced by the health law.

29 Jun 2012

New analysis finds increase in per-patient operating costs in PCMHs

The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is a concept at the heart of many health care reform models that aim to both improve the quality of care and reduce wasteful spending. But a new analysis of federally qualified health centers finds that clinics with higher scores as medical homes also had higher per-patient operating costs.

25 Jun 2012

INTERACT program can reduce unnecessary hospitalizations in SNFs

There are more than 1.6 million Americans currently living in nursing homes, and approximately 60 percent are sent to emergency rooms and 25 percent are admitted to a hospital in a year. Although hospitalizations are often required for medical reasons, experts suggest that 28 to 40 percent of these admissions could be avoided with enhanced care in the skilled nursing facility (SNF).

13 Jun 2012

Health law opinions: 'Improvised explosive' device tax; Iowa legislators force role for brokers on insurance exchanges

"Taxmageddon" isn't only about the half-trillion-dollar blow to the economy that arrives in 2013 on the end of the Bush-Obama tax rates. Several of the Affordable Care Act's worst tax increases kick in too, such as the new excise tax on medical devices. The 2.3 percent levy applies to the sale of everything from cardiac defibrillators to artificial joints to MRI scanners. The device tax is supposed to raise $28.5 billion from 2013 to 2022, and it is especially harmful because it applies to gross sales, not profits.

30 May 2012

Study says most insurance sold to individuals doesn't meet health law standards

A new report in Health Affairs finds that more than half of individual policies could not be sold on state health exchanges because they fail to meet the law's criteria for coverage.

25 May 2012

Study confirms U.S. health spending far outpaces other industrialized nations

According to The Commonwealth Fund, the U.S. spends more than 12 other industrialized countries, but the care here is not necessarily better.

4 May 2012

Health care quality varies widely despite high spending in the U.S.

The United States spends more on health care than 12 other industrialized countries yet does not provide "notably superior" care, according to a new study from The Commonwealth Fund.

4 May 2012

First Edition: May 3, 2012

Today's headlines include a report exploring how the Medicare payment system could suffer unintended consequences if the Supreme Court overturns the health law.

3 May 2012

Research roundup: Practice guidelines may not stop defensive medicine; English language ability tied to hospital readmission rates

The Value of Clinical Practice Guidelines As Malpractice "Safe Harbors" -- Overspending on health care has frequently been attributed to doctors practicing defensive medicine -- ordering extra tests, for example -- so that they avoid malpractice lawsuits. The authors of this brief write that while some have said clinical guidelines "should give caregivers a liability 'safe harbor,' shielding them from any malpractice claim for failing to provide services not included in the guideline."

27 Apr 2012

Commonwealth Fund Commission unveils community-based health plan

Noting the "unprecedented opportunity" provided under the Affordable Care Act, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, and other recently enacted federal laws, the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System today unveiled a community-based plan to enhance health and reduce spending by improving care for chronically ill patients and targeting quality improvement efforts to conditions that can yield the greatest benefit in a relatively short time.

26 Apr 2012

Survey: Gaps in health insurance coverage, knowledge persist

A Commonwealth Fund survey found that many U.S. adults ages didn't have health insurance over the course of a year.

20 Apr 2012

Many Americans struggle to regain health insurance after losing or changing jobs

One of four (26%) working-age U.S. adults experienced a gap in health insurance coverage during 2011, often because they lost or changed jobs, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report that also shows how difficult it is for people to regain health insurance on their own after losing employer-sponsored coverage.

20 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 18, 2012

Today's health policy headlines include reports about how a one-year experiment on Medicare competitive bidding showed positive results in terms of saving money as well as reducing waste and fraud.

19 Apr 2012

Research roundup: Obesity treatment for low-income patients; Medicare vs. private plans

Low-income patients are underrepresented in clinical trials and are disproportionately prone to obesity and the related problems of high blood pressure and heart disease. Researchers conducted a 24-month trial of more than 300 low-income, obese patients from various Boston community health centers, randomizing participants "to usual care or a behavioral intervention that promoted weight loss and hypertension self-management using eHealth components. The intervention included tailored behavior change goals, self-monitoring, and skills training, available via a website or interactive voice response."

16 Apr 2012

New medical loss ratio rules would have provided significant rebates

Consumers nationwide would have received an estimated $2 billion in rebates from health insurers if the new medical loss ratio (MLR) rules enacted as part of the Affordable Care Act had been in effect in 2010, according to a new study from The Commonwealth Fund.

6 Apr 2012