November 20, 2009 - This preview of a forthcoming Commonwealth Fund report offers a summary and chartpack outlining the payment and delivery system reform provisions in the bills, as well as their potential impact on health expenditures. Also available is a chartpack from another upcoming Fund report on coverage and affordability provisions in the two bills.
Fund Report
November 20, 2009 - This statement from The Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System calls for a comprehensive, integrated approach to health system reform to reverse the negative trends in U.S. health system performance and provide a more secure future for U.S. families and businesses.
Other
November 13, 2009 - In this Commonwealth Fund issue brief, experts argue that the health care system as a whole would do well to emulate top-performing providers that embrace accountability for health care quality, outcomes, and cost. And they say the Medicare program—the nation's largest payer for health care—is the logical place to start.
Issue Brief
November 5, 2009 - A new Commonwealth Fund survey of primary care physicians in 11 countries reveals that the United States lags far behind other countries in key areas of access, quality, and use of health information technology—undermining doctors' efforts to provide timely, high-quality care.
In the Literature
October 27, 2009 - In an attempt to control rapid growth in hospital costs, beginning in the mid-1970s seven states implemented rate-setting programs to regulate hospital payments. Although all but two have since been discontinued, these states' experiences offer lessons for policymakers as they continue searching for ways to control rising health care costs.
Issue Brief
October 23, 2009 - This report prepared by Commonwealth Fund researchers analyzes the similarities, differences, potential impacts, and costs of the three comprehensive health reform bills passed by key U.S. congressional committees. Also see interactive tables for side-by-side comparisons of the system reform and insurance provisions.
Fund Report
October 8, 2009 - As a companion to the 2009 State Scorecard, this report profiles seven health systems: six that rank among the top quartile of states—Vermont, Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin—plus Delaware, which was among the most-improved states from 2007 to 2009.
Fund Report
October 8, 2009 - The cost and quality of health care, as well as access to care and health outcomes, continue to vary widely among states, according to the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System's second state scorecard report. The states that led in the first state scorecard, released in 2007, generally continued to lead, often setting new benchmarks and widening the gap between leading and lagging states.
Fund Report
October 1, 2009 - This Commonwealth Fund-supported study of the state's health reform finds that employer-based coverage in Massachusetts has increased, as has the scope and quality of coverage as assessed by workers. However, some employees in small firms have seen a significant rise in premiums and out-of-pocket expenses.
In the Literature
September 8, 2009 - This Commonwealth Fund supplement to the September/October 2009 issue of the Columbia Journalism Review provides journalists and others with an evidence-based context for understanding how both lack of coverage and spiraling health care costs directly affect American families and businesses, and how comprehensive health reform can address these problems.
Other
August 20, 2009 - The rapid rise in health insurance premiums has severely strained U.S. families and employers in recent years. This Commonwealth Fund analysis of federal data finds that if premiums for employer-sponsored insurance grow in each state at the projected national rate of increase, then the average premium for family coverage would rise 94 percent by 2020.
Data Brief
August 12, 2009 - Private health plans that enroll Medicare beneficiaries—known as Medicare Advantage (MA) plans—are being paid $11 billion more in 2009 than it would cost to cover these beneficiaries in regular fee-for-service Medicare. The Obama Administration has proposed eliminating these extra payments to private insurers and instituting a competitive bidding system. This study questions the degree to which firms offering MA plans actually face competition.
Issue Brief
July 27, 2009 - By making a few tweaks to the current health insurance system, we can get millions more Americans the health insurance coverage they need, reduce costs and provide higher-quality care, says U.S. Congressman Michael Burgess (R-TX).
Commentary
July 27, 2009 - In a commentary on The Commonwealth Fund/Modern Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey, Wisconsin Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) outlines how key aspects of health reform legislation have roots in her home state.
Commentary
July 17, 2009 - National health reform efforts are seeking to expand insurance coverage, improve quality of care, and "bend the health care cost curve." This publication highlights data from a Commonwealth Fund report that analyzed alternative approaches to defining the role of a public plan and presented estimates of the potential impacts on health spending compared with projected trends.
Policy Points