January 29, 2009 - In this invited testimony before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Karen Davis reviews how the nation can simultaneously address how we organize and deliver health services to ensure the best possible health outcomes and the best value.
Testimony
January 27, 2009 - By using payment incentives, Medicare, the nation's largest health care payer, could lead the United States to higher health system performance and yield great benefits, say Fund staff and colleagues in this Health Affairs article.
In the Literature
January 26, 2009 - David Blumenthal, M.D., the new federal health IT coordinator, describes how the federal government can help providers overcome the financial, technical, and logistical obstacles to adoption of health IT.
Perspectives on Health Reform Brief
November 24, 2008 - This study, which reviewed data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey from 2001 through 2003, of 1,120 community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with dementia found that use of anti-dementia medications was approximately 30 percent higher among non-Hispanic whites compared with other racial and ethnic groups.
In the Literature
November 10, 2008 - A multiyear analysis of Medicare's "national coverage decisions"--policies for reimbursing health care providers for particular medical services--shows that the program considers the available evidence "fair" or "poor" for most medical technologies it reviews.
In the Literature
November 3, 2008 - In this commentary on the Modern Healthcare/Commonwealth Fund survey of health care opinion leaders, J. James Rohack discuss Medicare payment reform from the physician's perspective.
Commentary
November 3, 2008 - In a new commentary on The Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Opinion Leaders Survey, Glenn Hackbarth outlines steps for implementing payment reform in Medicare.
Commentary
November 3, 2008 - Leaders in health care and health care policy expressed robust support for fundamentally reforming the way health care providers are paid and resounding dissatisfaction with the current payment system, known as "fee-for-service."
Data Brief
October 21, 2008 - Payments to Medicare's private fee-for-service (FFFS) plans in 2008 average 16.6 percent more than costs in traditional Medicare, or $1,248 for each of the 2 million enrollees in PFFS plans--a total of nearly $2.5 billion in extra payments.
Issue Brief
September 16, 2008 - Based on employers' responses to two national surveys, conducted in late 2005 and early 2007, fears that the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit would "crowd out" existing retiree health benefits have not been realized. This issue brief finds most employers indicate that they will reconsider their current decision if the cost of coverage rises sharply or the Medicare Part D coverage becomes more comprehensive.
Issue Brief
September 5, 2008 - Private health plans serving Medicare beneficiaries will be paid an average 12.4 percent more per enrollee in 2008 compared to what the same enrollee would have cost in the traditional Medicare fee-for-service program, according to a new study from The Commonwealth Fund.
Issue Brief
August 18, 2008 - Key changes in Medicare payment policy--not increases in Medicare managed care, changes in beneficiary cost-sharing, or other explanations--have been responsible for slowing Medicare spending growth and curtailing so-called excess spending growth, finds a study in Health Affairs.
In the Literature
May 30, 2008 - This issue brief considers options for simplifying Part D in several areas: standardizing the benefit descriptions and procedures used by plans and the Medicare program; further standardization of the plan's benefit parameters, particularly the rules for cost-sharing; and changes to the rules governing plan formularies.
Issue Brief
May 1, 2008 - Aspects of Medicare Part D have been problematic or confusing for vulnerable beneficiaries. This study highlights creative efforts across the country have helped individuals obtain and use the Part D benefit.
Issue Brief
May 1, 2008 - For some Medicare beneficiaries, the prescription drug benefit--Medicare Part D--can be confusing and lead to delays in getting drugs or in adverse health outcomes. New research suggests certain policy and procedural changes could enhance program performance.
Issue Brief