January 31, 2012 - Vulnerable populations have more difficulty obtaining health care, receive worse care, and experience poorer health outcomes than other groups. This blog post looks at the new Vulnerable Populations program, which aims to help achieve equity in the U.S. health system.
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July 13, 2011 - Given persistent budgetary pressures, it's not surprising that the Administration and Congress are weighing options for achieving savings in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, say the Fund's Karen Davis and Stu Guterman. It's important, however, to bear three points in mind.
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April 12, 2012 - The goals of accountable care—supporting providers' efforts to work together to achieve better care, better health, and lower costs—are compelling. But translating principles into practice requires learning. Elliott Fisher and Stephen Shortell explore the challenges in learning from ACOs' early experiences.
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March 27, 2013 - Many state Medicaid agencies are using the Medicare Shared Savings Program established under the Affordable Care Act a model for their shared saving arrangements.
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August 15, 2012 - The health professionals who care for people with Medicaid coverage are struggling to deliver high-quality, efficient care to their most vulnerable patients. This post highlights several states that are developing accountable care organizations (ACOs) for their Medicaid populations to both improve care and control costs.
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December 12, 2011 - At the December 2 Alliance for Health Reform briefing, "Inside Deficit Reduction: What Now?," a panel of experts with diverse perspectives discussed the potential impact on health policy of the failure of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to reach agreement on a plan to reduce the federal deficit.
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January 16, 2012 - To examine how safety-net health systems might participate in ACOs and other innovative payment and delivery system reforms, the National Academy for State Health Policy interviewed several key stakeholders about what is needed to promote ACOs in the safety net.
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October 02, 2012 - In invited testimony today before the House of Representatives Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, Commonwealth Fund president Karen Davis discussed two approaches to sustaining Medicare, the vital public insurance program for seniors and disabled Americans.
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May 23, 2011 - Former Republican Governor of Vermont James H. Douglas discusses the need to find ways to bring health care costs down, and suggests five key areas for state-based reform.
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January 14, 2013 - People who become eligible for Medicare in states without a comprehensive transition plan could face gaps in coverage and avoidable out-of-pocket costs. This post looks at how states can help ensure people make smooth transitions to Medicare.
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January 16, 2012 - This post describes the Affordable Care Act provisions that will help safety-net providers promote coordination and integration of care, capitalize on investments in the capacity of the safety net, and understand and adapt to upcoming changes to safety net financing and payment.
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May 16, 2013 - Since January 2013, Medicaid agencies and health plans have been required to pay for primary care for Medicaid beneficiaries at the generally higher rates paid to providers by Medicare. The Center for Health Care Strategies' David Bricklin-Small and Tricia McGinnis say that to ensure continued access to primary care, the increase should be maintained beyond its two-year timeframe.
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November 29, 2011 - The Commonwealth Fund's Mark Zezza, Melinda Abrams, and Stuart Guterman review the Innovation Center's first year and highlight areas for future development and consideration.
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October 17, 2011 - The Commonwealth Fund's Caryn Marks and Megan Keenan recount a recent briefing that examined the potential impact of various deficit reduction plans on Medicare. The briefing was the second in a series of Alliance for Health Reform briefings on deficit reduction, jointly sponsored by The Commonwealth Fund, The SCAN Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Kaiser Family Foundation.
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October 21, 2011 - In a guide released today by the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative, a chapter by Commonwealth Fund staff outlines key strategies to help health systems effectively measure care coordination as a routine part of medical home activities. This post outlines the seven strategies proposed in the chapter.
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