Commonwealth Fund News and Research

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Health law backers brace for new battles over 2015 insurance rates

Politico reports that this round of messaging will be critical because rates are expected to increase and could add to Democrats' midterm election challenges.

8 Jul 2014

First Edition: July 7, 2014

Today's headlines include a range of stories related to the implementation of the health law, and the politics surrounding it.

7 Jul 2014

State highlights: N.Y. lawmakers deal on heroin abuse; N.Y. birth control discrimination bill; nursing home costs in Mich.

A selection of health policy stories from New York, Michigan, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, California, Texas, Washington state, Missouri, Massachusetts and Colorado.

20 Jun 2014

Viewpoints: Working for benefits; fears for a pill to prevent HIV; possible Medicaid strategy for Virginia

[Economist Robert] Moffitt noted in an email that "the work incentives in the government safety net have greatly increased over the last 20 years: less welfare payments if you don't work, and much greater government payments if you do."

19 Jun 2014

Survey: U.S. health care gets the least bang for the buck

News coverage continues to detail the findings of a Commonwealth Fund survey that placed the U.S. last among other Western industrialized countries when it comes to measures of healthy lives.

18 Jun 2014

First Edition: June 17, 2014

Today's headlines include developments related to the health care marketplace and state health policy.

17 Jun 2014

U.S. ranked last on scorecard of health care systems

For the fifth consecutive year, the Commonwealth Fund listed the U.S. last in a ranking of health systems of Western industrialized nations. The rankings looked at quality, outcomes and efficiency.

17 Jun 2014

Reporters reflect on health law battles

Huffington Post gathers five reporters who followed the passage and implementation of the health law to share their insights.

9 Jun 2014

Study results suggest growing support for patient-centered care management

Primary care doctors practicing in a model of coordinated, team-based care that leverages health information technology are more likely to give patients recommended preventive screening and appropriate tests than physicians working in other settings, according to research published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

4 Jun 2014

First Edition: April 30, 2014

Today's headlines include a new round of articles exploring recent polls and politics related to the public's view of the health law.

30 Apr 2014

New health system scorecard reveals wide health gaps among states

States made little progress in improving health care access, quality, and outcomes and lowering costs in the five years preceding implementation of the major coverage provisions of the Affordable Care Act (2007-2012), according to the Commonwealth Fund's third state health system scorecard. The majority of states declined or failed to improve on two-thirds of the 34 scorecard indicators that could be tracked over time.

30 Apr 2014

Research roundup: Colonscopy in the countryside; retiree health benefits; what should hip surgery cost?

Rural residents who commonly seek treatment for advanced stages of colorectal cancer have been thought to lack access to cancer screening and adjuvant therapy. ... Several theories have been postulated to explain these findings, some of which include low socioeconomic status, lower educational attainment, lack of insurance coverage, underinsurance, and travel distance to health care facilities.

21 Apr 2014

Looking forward: How to judge the rollout; challenges to come

Following the official end of the enrollment season, some outlets turn their attention to the upcoming issues surrounding the law.

2 Apr 2014

Va. Gov.'s Medicaid expansion proposal denied

Republicans in a House committee rejected the proposal, which is holding up a two-year budget deal. Gov. Terry McAuliffe tried to shake up Virginia's deadlocked Medicaid debate Monday by proposing a new budget that would expand the health care program and shower a projected $225 million in related savings on teachers, state employees, pre-kindergarten programs and other Democratic priorities (Vozzella, 3/24).

26 Mar 2014

Research roundup: Health care and prisoners; hospitalized patients' surrogates; suicides in the army

As a group, jail-involved individuals, which we define here as people with a history of arrest and jail admission in the recent past, carry a heavy illness burden, with high rates of infectious and chronic disease as well as mental illness and substance use.

10 Mar 2014

RAND study ignores data pointing to success of PCMH care model, say physicians

Pennsylvania's physicians say a new study by researchers at the RAND Corporation in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) ignores the wealth of recent data pointing to the success of the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) care model that gives patients more control of their health care.

4 Mar 2014

Study examines effects of pay-for-performance-reimbursing health care in China's Ningxia Province

Pay-for-performance-reimbursing health care providers based on the results they achieved with their patients as a way to improve quality and efficiency-has become a major component of health reforms in the United States, the United Kingdom, and other affluent countries. Although the approach has also become popular in the developing world, there has been little evaluation of its impact.

4 Mar 2014

Certain fragments of DNA shed by tumors can be used to non-invasively screen for early-stage cancers

Certain fragments of DNA shed by tumors into the bloodstream can potentially be used to non-invasively screen for early-stage cancers, monitor responses to treatment and help explain why some cancers are resistant to therapies, according to results of an international study led by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center investigators.

20 Feb 2014

Telemedicine used at nursing homes is a viable way to reduce avoidable hospitalizations

Telemedicine used at nursing homes during hours when doctors are not typically present is a viable way to reduce avoidable hospitalizations, according to research published in February's issue of Health Affairs.

5 Feb 2014

Cystic Fibrosis Center receives Quality Care Award for commitment to improve quality of care in CF patients

The Cystic Fibrosis Center at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital has been selected by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) for the foundation's prestigious Quality Care Award for 2012-2013.

30 Jan 2014