October 4, 2005 - Adding a comprehensive Medicare Extra, or Part E, plan to Medicare would eliminate the need for beneficiaries to purchase a private drug plan and Medigap supplemental coverage, and help to quell the confusion and dissatisfaction surrounding the new Medicare Part D drug benefit, according to a new study released today as a Health Affairs Web exclusive.
April 14, 2011 - If implemented successfully, accountable care organizations (ACOs) have the ability to achieve better care, better population health, and lower costs, according to a new report released today by the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System.
June 8, 2010 - The new Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMI) must be inclusive and flexible in developing and implementing payment initiatives, continuously monitor their impact, and rapidly disseminate them if they appear to be successful, in order to realize the potential for improved health care delivery and reduced spending, according to a new Health Affairs article by Commonwealth Fund researchers.
August 26, 2009 - Over the last 30 years, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which assesses the costs of health reform and other legislation as it moves through Congress and is widely respected for its competence and integrity, has underestimated the amount of savings and overestimated the costs that major changes in the health care system would bring, says Jon Gabel in an op-ed published in today's New York Times.
April 2, 2009 - One of five Medicare beneficiaries discharged from the hospital is readmitted within 30 days, and half of non-surgical patients are readmitted to the hospital without having seen an outpatient doctor in follow-up, according to a Commonwealth Fund-supported study in today's New England Journal of Medicine.
July 23, 2003 - As Congress debates the scope of a new Medicare drug benefit for the elderly, a new study shows that a lengthy phase-in period could leave many seniors without supplemental medical or prescription drug benefits.
July 18, 2012 - Elderly beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare plans are more satisfied with their health insurance, have better access to care, and are less likely to have problems paying medical bills than people who get insurance through employers or those who purchase coverage on their own, according to a new Commonwealth Fund study published today in Health Affairs.
July 31, 2002 - A survey of seniors in eight states released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Commonwealth Fund finds nearly one quarter of seniors report skipping doses of medicine or not filling prescriptions because of costs.
April 15, 2002 - Retiree health benefits are the largest source of supplemental coverage for Medicare beneficiaries. More than one-third of seniors—almost 14 million people on Medicare—receive health insurance from an employer plan.
March 6, 2000 - A New York University study, published today in Health Affairs, found that older Medicare beneficiaries who lack prescription drug coverage may be less able than those with coverage to control serious health problems.
December 5, 2002 - While New York State has one of the largest and most effective senior drug assistance programs in the country, nearly one in five seniors living in New York had no coverage for medications in 2001, according to a new report from The Commonwealth Fund. As a result of lack of coverage or inadequate benefits, one-fifth of all New York State's seniors and one-third of seniors without drug coverage report that they skipped doses of medication or did not fill a prescription due to cost concerns.
February 24, 2006 - A new study points to great potential for the new Medicare drug benefit to provide assistance to the estimated one-fifth of the nation's nursing home population without drug coverage.
February 2, 2000 - A new analysis of Medicare beneficiaries reveals that only half have prescription drug coverage all year—challenging the often-cited statistic that two-thirds have a drug benefit through supplemental plans.
May 6, 2013 - Combining Medicare's hospital, physician, and prescription drug coverage with commonly purchased private supplemental coverage into one health plan could produce national savings of $180 billion over a decade while improving care for beneficiaries, according to a new study by researchers at The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and The Commonwealth Fund published today in the May edition of Health Affairs.
February 18, 2004 - Seniors with the most generous drug coverage were more likely than those with no or limited coverage to use the most costly prescription pain medication for osteoarthritis, even when less expensive over-the-counter drugs could be substituted, according to a new study published today on the Health Affairs Web site.