April 19, 2012 - One-quarter of adults ages 19 to 64 experienced a gap in their health insurance in 2011, with a majority remaining uninsured for one year or more, according to the The Commonwealth Fund Health Insurance Tracking Survey of U.S. Adults.
Issue Brief
January 12, 2009 - A new Commonwealth Fund report examines the impact recent citizenship documentation rules have had on the stability of health insurance coverage for low-income children covered by state public programs. It finds that getting and keeping coverage has become more difficult for many families.
Fund Report
December 3, 2009 - In this Fund-supported Health Affairs study, employer-sponsored health plans were found to be much more affordable, and to offer more comprehensive coverage, than individual market plans. Deductibles average more than $2,100 for individual plans but less than $600 for employer-based plans, the researchers say.
In the Literature
March 25, 2010 - The percentage of Americans facing high out-of-pocket health care expenses and insurance premiums continues to increase. In all income brackets, people with private insurance experienced an increase in their health care–related financial burden between 2004 and 2006, with the greatest increase occurring among middle- and higher-income individuals.
In the Literature
October 10, 2003 - Although large employers are much more likely than small ones to offer health coverage, recent evidence suggests that large-firm workers and their dependents comprise a significant and growing share of the working uninsured.
Fund Report
July 17, 2009 - Three-quarters of key decision-makers from a diverse group of California-based health care organizations believe that cost-effectiveness criteria should be used when making insurance coverage decisions, according to this Commonwealth Fund-supported study. However, payers and the legal and policy communities would need to explore ways of reducing the litigation risk associated with cost-effectiveness analysis, the authors say.
In the Literature
August 31, 2005 - Health problems among working-age Americans and their families cost an estimated $260 billion in lost productivity each year, a new Fund study finds. This "lost labor time" results from health problems that make it difficult to hold jobs, missed work days, and an inability to concentrate at work because of sickness or related worries.
Issue Brief
June 28, 2004 - Recent reports of hospitals billing uninsured patients at higher rates than insured patients and using aggressive collection practices are symptoms of two underlying trends in the U.S. health care system—growing instability in insurance coverage and rapid growth in the cost of care, Fund senior program officer Sara R. Collins, Ph.D., told a congressional hearing in invited testimony.
Testimony
August 1, 2006 - Uninsured rates for Hispanic and African American adults are up to three times greater than the rate for white adults, according to new analysis of the Fund's Biennial Health Insurance Survey.
Issue Brief
October 2, 2012 - With President Obama and Governor Romney offering fundamentally different visions for the nation's health system, the presidential election provides a stark choice for U.S. voters. This analysis contrasts the potential impact of implementing the Affordable Care Act in full with Romney’s proposals to repeal the law, eliminate many of the new requirements for insurance markets, and make changes in Medicaid and Medicare.
Fund Report
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
April 5, 2010 - By an overwhelming majority (89%), leaders in health care and health policy think the new health care reform law will successfully expand access to affordable health insurance to the millions of Americans who currently go without it.
Data Brief
November 14, 2011 - Nearly nine of 10 leaders in health and health care policy say it is important for federal and state policymakers to continue efforts to implement the Affordable Care Act, according to the latest and final Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey.
Data Brief
January 19, 2009 - President-elect Barack Obama's health care plan should expand health care coverage while also improving quality and efficiency and controlling costs, say the experts polled in the latest Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey. Participants strongly supported expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) immediately.
Data Brief
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