Bills Have Patients 'Seeing Red'

Millions of Americans struggle to pay their medical bills or pare down medical debt they've accrued. Some 40 to 50 percent of personal bankruptcies, in fact, are caused by medical debt. But here's the real news: even people who have health insurance are not immune. Read more »

Study: Wide Variation in Hospital Quality

What are the chances that your local hospital will deliver good care? According to a new study, it depends on where you live, the characteristics of your hospital, and the condition for which you are treated. Read more »

How Much for a Health IT Network?

Use of information technology (IT) could improve the safety, quality, and efficiency of care, but adoption has been slow, mainly due to cost. But just how great are the costs involved? Read more »

Residents Not Being Trained in Cross-Cultural Care

Two new Commonwealth Fund-supported studies point to a lack of training for resident physicians in the complexities of providing "culturally competent" medical care in an increasingly diverse society. Read more »

The Case for Reinsurance

A new Fund study explains how states can make government-provided reinsurance, which is essentially insurance for insurance companies, work in their small-group and individual markets. Read more »

How to Recruit (and Retain) Medicaid Providers

The Association for Community Affiliated Plans has conducted a survey and four in-depth case studies of its member plans to improve efforts to recruit and retain providers. Read more »

Items in Brief

• Health Problems Cost Billions in Lost Productivity
• Oregon Medicaid Policies Cut Deeply
• Antipsychotics Overprescribed in Nursing Homes
• Caring for Caregivers
• How States Can Upgrade Kids' Care
• Two Takes on Tackling Disparities

Recent Commonwealth Fund reports and Fund-supported studies in the professional literature.

Read more »