Commonwealth Fund News and Research

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Viewpoints: Parsing newest reports of coverage gains; 'scientific fraudsters'

It will take a while to understand fully how the Affordable Care Act affects the quality of health care and access to doctors in this country.

14 Jul 2014

Obamacare lowers uninsured rate, three studies find

According to three new studies, the health law has in its first year reduced the number of uninsured adults by between 8 million and 11 million, and the majority of enrollees report satisfaction with their plans.

13 Jul 2014

First Edition: July 11, 2014

Today's headlines include coverage of surveys that offer insight into how the health law is doing in terms of reducing the nation's rate of uninsurance.

11 Jul 2014

Viewpoints: Turning to new legal challenges to ACA; is the law working?; Medicaid problems in N.C.

The Supreme Court's term ended in June with another Affordable Care Act ruling, and the ACA survived largely unscathed. Burwell v. Hobby Lobby has important ramifications for women's health and religious freedom but does not invalidate a single section of the law.

11 Jul 2014

Survey: People with new health law insurance are generally happy

About 9.5 million Americans gained coverage during the health law's open enrollment period, and the uninsured rate for working-age adults fell from 20 percent to 15 percent, according to a survey by the Commonwealth Fund.

10 Jul 2014

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