October 27, 2011 - In invited testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Health Care, the Fund's Sara Collins discussed the importance of the Affordable Care Act's premium tax credits and other insurance affordability provisions that will ensure the health and financial security of working families.
Testimony
October 7, 2011 - This Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System report examines the problems facing vulnerable populations and offers three strategies to close the health care divide.
Fund Report
September 23, 2011 - The United States ranks last among 16 high-income nations when it comes to deaths that could potentially be prevented by timely access to effective health care, according to a new Commonwealth Fund–supported study.
In the Literature
September 8, 2011 - The number of U.S. adults who had health insurance all year but were still "underinsured"—that is, they had very high medical expenses relative to their incomes—rose by 80 percent between 2003 and 2010, from 16 million to 29 million, according to a new Commonwealth Fund study published in the September issue of Health Affairs.
In the Literature
August 24, 2011 - In this period of chronically high unemployment, millions of Americans are losing their health insurance coverage along with their jobs. A Commonwealth Fund brief finds that unemployed workers have few affordable coverage options. While the Affordable Care Act will provide new options, extending subsidies for COBRA would further protect unemployed workers, the authors say.
Issue Brief
August 4, 2011 - In a new Health Affairs study comparing the costs physicians in the U.S. and Canada incur when they have to deal with multiple health insurers, Commonwealth Fund–supported researchers show just how much more U.S. practices spend than their counterparts across the border.
In the Literature
June 15, 2011 - In many states, Medicaid programs have contracted out the delivery of health care services to publicly traded for-profit health plans focused on Medicaid members. The authors of this Commonwealth Fund study found that publicly traded plans had higher administrative costs and received lower quality scores than non-publicly traded plans.
Issue Brief
June 14, 2011 - The Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan is a temporary program implemented under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to make health insurance coverage available to uninsured individuals with preexisting conditions until 2014, when exchange-based health insurance becomes available to all. This issue brief examines enrollment trends, early changes to plan structures and premiums, and estimates of out-of-pocket costs by utilization pattern and type of plan.
Issue Brief
May 31, 2011 - California was the first state to create its own health insurance exchange after the passage of the Affordable Care Act. This brief reports on California's key choices and how they can inform policymakers in other states as they address important exchange design issues.
Issue Brief
May 26, 2011 - The Affordable Care Act is making a difference for young adults, among the groups most at risk for lacking health insurance in the United States. Young adults up to age 26 may now stay on or join their parent’s health plans if they include dependent coverage, and early reports indicate that at least 600,000 have done so.
Issue Brief
May 23, 2011 - The latest Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey asked experts in the field about the role of states and the federal government under the Affordable Care Act.
Issue Brief
May 19, 2011 - To ensure that income fluctuations, job transitions, and other life changes do not create major disruptions in this coverage or in families' financial responsibilities, a new Commonwealth Fund issue brief presents policy options to make it simpler for people to sign up for, pay for, and keep their coverage despite changes in circumstances.
Issue Brief
May 11, 2011 - This Commonwealth Fund brief finds the new health reform law will expand health insurance coverage to nearly all uninsured women and will make health care more affordable for millions of women.
Issue Brief
May 10, 2011 - A new Commonwealth Fund issue brief explores the challenges regulators will face in implementing the Affordable Care Act’s risk adjustment provisions, analyzes the merits of different risk adjustment strategies, and offers recommendations for policymakers.
Issue Brief
April 27, 2011 - Ninety percent of American families living above the federal poverty level will be able to afford health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, according to this new Commonwealth Fund analysis. The authors find that new subsidies available through health insurance exchanges established under the law will make premiums affordable for most families, but warn that high out-of-pocket costs will make health expenses unaffordable for some.
Issue Brief