Commonwealth Fund News and Research

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Applying for benefits in online marketplaces might be daunting

The Associated Press reports that the draft version of the application for a three-person family is 15 pages while the online version has 21 steps, some with additional questions.

14 Mar 2013

Importance of getting quality sleep

Regularly getting four hours or less of sleep isn't enough rest for most people, but sacrificing sleep to get it all done appears to be the new cultural norm.

7 Mar 2013

States pursue different paths to health exchanges

With Friday's deadline now passed, it is clear the federal government will run the insurance marketplaces created by the health law in about half the states. Only a handful of the states opted to partner with the feds.

20 Feb 2013

Survey finds few states have laws to enforce new consumer health protections

A report by the Commonwealth Fund finds that 39 states do not have measures to allow officials to enforce some key insurance regulations from the federal health law.

2 Feb 2013

First Edition: February 1, 2013

Kaiser Health News staff writer Jenny Gold, working in collaboration with NPR, reports: "As of mid-January, most of NYU is up and running again, including the labor and delivery unit. But the question still looms whether NYU will lose some of the patients and even doctors who sought refuge at NYU's biggest competitors after the storm. If that happens, the storm could end up having a long term impact on NYU's valuable share of the fiercely competitive health care market in New York City."

1 Feb 2013

Report: U.S. could save $2T over a decade by encouraging cost-effective care

A new report from the Commonwealth Fund says the federal government could save $2 trillion on health care costs over a decade it if accelerates provider adoption of more-effective care.

11 Jan 2013

Johns Hopkins develops PapGene test to diagnose ovarian and endometrial cancers

Using cervical fluid obtained during routine Pap tests, scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have developed a test to detect ovarian and endometrial cancers. In a pilot study, the "PapGene" test, which relies on genomic sequencing of cancer-specific mutations, accurately detected all 24 (100 percent) endometrial cancers and nine of 22 (41 percent) ovarian cancers. Results of the experiments are published in the Jan. 9 issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine.

11 Jan 2013

A closer look at latest 'doc fix'

As part of the fiscal deal, a scheduled cut in Medicare physician payment rates was postponed -- but its 10-year price tag is being borne by other health care players, especially hospitals.

4 Jan 2013

Family health insurance costs up 62 percent since 2003

The total cost of family health insurance, for both employers and employees, hit $15,000 last year, up 62 percent since 2003 -- and worker wages rose only 11 percent in that time, a new Commonwealth Fund report says.

13 Dec 2012

Average premiums for employer health insurance plans increased 62% between 2003 and 2011

Average premiums for employer-sponsored family health insurance plans rose 62 percent between 2003 and 2011, from $9,249 to $15,022 per year, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report.

13 Dec 2012

States trying managed care for 'dual eligibles' - Medicare/Medicaid recipients

People who qualify for Medicare and Medicaid - many of whom are elderly and in nursing homes - need lots of often-expensive care.

7 Dec 2012

CINJ urologic oncology chief completes 1,000th robotic prostatectomy at RWJUH

Marking a major milestone in what has become a fast-growing standard of care in prostate cancer surgery, the chief of urologic oncology at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey has completed his 1,000th robotic prostatectomy at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), the Flagship Hospital of The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, which is a Center of Excellence of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

6 Dec 2012

Studies gauge health law's impact on consumer savings, Rx drug coverage

The Commonwealth Fund concluded that consumers saved $1.5 billion in 2011 as a result of a provision that limits how much insurers can spend on expenses not related to medical care. Meanwhile, Avalere Health found that drug coverage plans offered on health exchanges will vary by state.

6 Dec 2012

Smoking cessation support: an interview with Robyn Whittaker

Tobacco smoking involves a physiological addiction to nicotine for a lot of people. Quitting can cause some nasty symptoms due to the withdrawal of nicotine.

5 Dec 2012

U.S. docs adopt digital records but find sharing information difficult

More than two-thirds of U.S. doctors now use electronic medical records -- a substantial increase from years past -- but are finding that information is still not easily shared among medical professionals, a new study says.

17 Nov 2012

Survey reveals increase in use of EMRs among U.S. primary care physicians

Two-thirds (69%) of U.S. primary care physicians reported using electronic medical records (EMRs) in 2012, up from less than half (46%) in 2009, according to findings from the 2012 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey, published as a Web First online today in the journal Health Affairs. Primary care physicians in the U.S.-the only country in the study without universal health coverage-stand out in the survey for reporting that their patients often cannot afford care (59%).

15 Nov 2012

Health insurance news: Cigna earnings climb, small businesses drop coverage

The Bloomfield, Conn., managed-care company significantly boosted its full-year adjusted earnings guidance after posting better results than Wall Street expected. The company Thursday also announced a restructuring plan that includes reducing the size of its global workforce about 4%, affecting 1,300 workers amid a mix of layoffs and hiring. Cigna continued a streak of "beat and raise" third-quarter reports for large health insurers.

3 Nov 2012

Toilet training method not related to urinary accidents in children

Parents: stop worrying about which toilet training method to use - where urinary accidents in children are concerned, it doesn't matter. This clearly-stated message, published today in Clinical Pediatrics by physician researchers from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, emphasizes that the method of training chosen by parents is not the cause of urinary accidents in children.

3 Nov 2012

Employers, unions ask insurers and providers for greater health care price transparency

Big employers and unions are asking insurers and health care providers for greater price transparency when it comes to how much each pays for health care.

2 Nov 2012

Insurers, hospital stocks register presidential election jitters

As polls show a virtual tie between President Barack Obama and GOP challenger Mitt Romney, news outlets report on how the health care industry and those who are sick or uninsured are contemplating the possible outcomes.

29 Oct 2012