May 2, 2008 - Rising health care costs affect everyone, but pose a particular problem for low-wage workers and their families. This study shows that few of these workers are eligible for public insurance programs or can afford to purchase private insurance, and they are less likely than high-wage workers to work for companies offering health coverage.
Issue Brief
April 29, 2008 - Young adults are disproportionately represented among people who lack health insurance, accounting for 30 percent of the 46.4 million uninsured people under age 65, explains Sara R. Collins in this Congressional testimony.
Testimony
March 18, 2008 - Enrollment in consumer-driven and high-deductible plans still makes up a very small segment of the overall insurance market, according to the third EBRI/Commonwealth Fund Consumerism in Health Care Survey. Moreover, evidence shows that the percentage of consumer-driven plan enrollees with high incomes--above $100,000--swelled in 2007.
Issue Brief
January 28, 2008 - Candidates of both parties talk of the need to control health care costs, expand the focus on wellness and prevention, and modernize health information technology as they also talk of increased individual choice and responsibility for decision making, says Dallas Salisbury in a new commentary on the 2008 presidential candidates' health reform proposals.
Commentary
January 28, 2008 - When it comes to addressing our nation's health care problems, there are no unsolved mysteries, says Darrell Kirch in a new commentary. The key success factors have been identified. They fall into two general categories: reforms in financing that will make health care coverage more affordable and accessible, and reforms in clinical care that will improve quality and effectiveness.
Commentary
January 28, 2008 - When asked to consider the health reform proposals of the 2008 presidential candidates, most leaders in the fields of health care and health policy favor plans that build on the nation's current mixed system of public and private group insurance, according to the latest Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey.
Data Brief
January 15, 2008 - This Commonwealth Fund report examines differences among the proposals health care proposals of eight of the original Democratic and Republican 2008 presidential candidates, and evaluates them against key principles like affordability, provision of essential services, financial protection, streamlined administration, and fair financing.
Fund Report
January 15, 2008 - A Commonwealth Fund survey of adults age 19 and older, conducted from June 2007 to October 2007, finds that large majorities of the public, regardless of political affiliation or income level, say that the candidates' views on health care reform will be very important or somewhat important in their voting decision.
Issue Brief
January 8, 2008 - More than 45 million Americans lived in families spending more than 10 percent of their after-tax income on health care, according to a recent Commonwealth Fund-supported study in Health Affairs.
In the Literature
December 26, 2007 - A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds dramatic improvement in health trends when previously uninsured older individuals--particularly those with cardiovascular disease or diabetes--gain health care coverage through Medicare.
In the Literature
December 5, 2007 - In this testimony given at the New York State Insurance Department and New York State Department of Health "Partnership for Coverage" hearing, the Fund's Cathy Schoen outlines issues to consider when designing approaches to universal coverage in New York State.
Testimony
November 28, 2007 - This Commonwealth Fund study finds that the pervasiveness of high medical cost burdens within a community is driven by the number of people who are either uninsured or have high insurance premiums and out-of-pocket health costs relative to their income.
Issue Brief
November 14, 2007 - In invited testimony, The Commonwealth Fund's Sara Collins, Ph.D., told a House Ways and Means subcommittee that "it is essential on both moral and economic grounds that the United States move forward to guarantee affordable, comprehensive, and continuous health insurance for everyone."
Testimony
October 18, 2007 - A new report from the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System presents principles for health care reform that will be critical to achieving universal coverage and a high performance health system. Three different approaches to health care reform--proposed by governors, current presidential hopefuls, and congressional lawmakers--are compared for their ability to achieve universal coverage, improve quality and efficiency, and rein in costs.
Fund Report
September 17, 2007 - With the 2008 presidential election on the horizon, health care reform has jumped to the top of the nation's domestic policy priorities. This issue brief examines the central importance of employer coverage in our health system, and why it is imperative that employers join individuals, government, and other stakeholders in designing and contributing to a more equitable, rational, and high performing health care system. Click here to view a webcast from an event on business and national health care reform.
Issue Brief