As health care costs continue to rise, many states are faced with difficult options, including higher cost-sharing for public employees, tightened Medicaid eligibility and benefit cuts, or caps on spending. But a handful of states and counties are taking an entirely different approach in dealing with rising costs and quality concerns: finding ways to obtain greater value for their health care dollars through "value-based purchasing." Read more »
In 2006, the Medicare program began offering beneficiaries a prescription drug benefit for the first time. Today, the majority of seniors who lacked drug coverage prior to the enactment of Medicare Part D now have it. Read more »
Research published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine underscores the importance of having health insurance coverage--not only for ensuring access to needed care, but also for controlling overall health care costs and promoting good health outcomes. Read more »
If the lowest-performing U.S. hospitals performed as well as top-performers on specific measures of quality, approximately 2,200 fewer Americans would die each year, according to research published in Health Affairs. Read more »
A Commonwealth Fund analysis of major health reform bills before Congress concludes that while several could lead to significant improvements in quality and efficiency, each falls well short of a comprehensive strategy for overhauling the nation's health care system. Read more »