5/17/2012 - A new analysis of the Commonwealth Fund 2010 Biennial Health Insurance Survey demonstrates that when low-income adults have both health insurance and a medical home, they are less likely to report cost-related access problems, more likely to be up-to-date with preventive screenings, and report greater satisfaction with the quality of their care.
For more information, see the issue brief, "Achieving Better Quality of Care for Low-Income Populations: The Roles of Health Insurance and the Medical Home in Reducing Health Inequities."
5/3/2012 - This Commonwealth Fund analysis of 13 industrialized countries finds the U.S. spends far more on health care than any other country. However this high spending cannot be attributed to higher income, an older population, or greater supply or utilization of hospitals and doctors. Instead, the findings suggest the higher spending is more likely due to higher prices and perhaps more readily accessible technology and greater obesity.
For more information, see the issue brief, "Explaining High Health Care Spending in the United States: An International Comparison of Supply, Utilization, Prices, and Quality."
4/26/2012 -
The Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System believes the federal government needs a comprehensive, disciplined implementation plan that takes full advantage of the new opportunities provided by the Affordable Care Act, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act. The Commission identifes some general principles to help guide this strategic plan.
For more information, see the report, "The Performance Improvement Imperative: Utilizing a Coordinated, Community-Based Approach to Enhance Care and Lower Costs for Chronically Ill Patients."
4/19/2012 -
One-quarter of adults ages 19 to 64 experienced a gap in their health insurance in 2011, with a majority remaining uninsured for one year or more, according to the The Commonwealth Fund Health Insurance Tracking Survey of U.S. Adults.
For more information, see the issue brief, "Gaps in Health Insurance: Why So Many Americans Experience Breaks in Coverage and How the Affordable Care Act Will Help."
3/14/2012 - For more information, see "Rising to the Challenge: Results from a Scorecard on Local Health System Performance, 2012."
2/21/2012 -
For more information, see the Fund issue brief, The Income Divide in Health Care: How the Affordable Care Act Will Help Restore Fairness to the U.S. Health System.
1/27/2012 - For more information, see our summary of the Health Affairs article, New 2011 Survey of Patients with Complex Care Needs in Eleven Countries Finds That Care Is Often Poorly Coordinated.
1/23/2012 - For more information, see the Fund blog, Bending the Health Care Cost Curve: New Era in American Health Care?
1/9/2012 - For more information see Multinational Comparisons of Health Systems Data, 2011.
11/28/2011 - For more information see, Ensuring Equity: A Post-Reform Framework to Achieve High Performance Health Care for Vulnerable Populations.
11/16/2011 - For more information, see "State Trends in Premiums and Deductibles, 2003-2010: The Need for Action to Address Rising Costs".
11/4/2011 - For more information, see "Testimony: Premium Tax Credits Under the Affordable Care Act: How Will They Help Millions of Uninsured Americans Gain Affordable, Comprehensive Health Insurance".
10/20/2011 - For more information, see "Why Not the Best? Results from the National Scorecard on U.S. Health System Performance, 2011"
10/7/2011 - For more information, see "Low-Quality, High-Cost Hospitals, Mainly in the South, Care for Sharply Higher Shares of Elderly Black, Hispanic, and Medicaid Patients".
9/26/2011 -
For more information, see "Variations in Amenable Mortality—Trends in 16 High-Income Nations".