February 7, 2008 - This Commonwealth Fund report reviews what the participating practices have learned so far in their efforts to improve quality and efficiency, how they might go about expanding and refining the interventions they have designed, and what the broader implications are for the Medicare program.
Fund Report
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 18, 2007 - This analysis, prepared for The Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System, finds that guaranteeing health insurance for all, when combined with policy options aimed at improving health system performance, could result in $1.5 trillion in reduced spending over the next decade.
Fund Report
December 3, 2007 - In a Health Affairs article supported by The Commonwealth Fund, two health policy experts outline steps for restructuring the Medicare Part D benefit and putting the program onto a more value-driven path.
In the Literature
August 31, 2007 - Findings from the Kaiser/Commonwealth/Tufts-New England Medical Center 2006 National Survey of Seniors and Prescription Drugs.
Chartbook
August 27, 2007 - To prove itself a leader in achieving high performance, Medicare must align financial incentives with the dual goals of improving health care quality and efficiency. This Milbank Quarterly article by the Fund's Karen Davis and Stuart Guterman describes the adverse incentives inherent in the current Medicare system and lays the groundwork for fundamental payment reform.
In the Literature
August 21, 2007 - In the first in-depth look at seniors' experiences with Medicare's prescription drug benefit, a new survey finds that the majority of seniors who lacked drug coverage in 2005--before the establishment of the benefit--obtained it in 2006. Even with Part D coverage, however, many seniors reported relatively high out-of-pocket spending in 2006.
In the Literature
August 2, 2007 - A new study looking at QIOs' work with nursing homes suggests that, based on measurable improvements in residents' quality of life, the QIO program is a sound investment of health care dollars.
In the Literature
July 19, 2007 - A chartbook from The Commonwealth Fund and the National Opinion Research Center offers a window into the state of retiree health benefits in the U.S.
Chartbook
July 16, 2007 - If the lowest-performing U.S. hospitals performed as well as top-performers on specific quality measures, 2,200 fewer Americans would die each year, according to a new Fund-supported study.
In the Literature
July 12, 2007 - A new Commonwealth Fund-supported study by Harvard Medical School researchers finds that chronically ill Medicare beneficiaries who were previously uninsured used health services more intensively and required costlier care compared with their previously insured counterparts.
In the Literature
June 20, 2007 - Medicare Part D was enacted to subsidize the costs of prescription drugs for millions of Medicare beneficiaries. But, in doing so, the new benefit raises serious questions about costs and utilization--namely, how prescription drug coverage affects drug use and what the impact is on subsequent costs.
In the Literature
June 11, 2007 - In his May 2007 testimony before the U.S. Senate, the Fund's Stuart Guterman reviewed Medicare's initiatives to improve care for beneficiaries with chronic conditions.
Testimony
May 24, 2007 - A new Commonwealth Fund report looks at some of the challenges faced by vulnerable Medicare beneficiaries and makes specific recommendations to strengthen Part D.
Fund Report
April 11, 2007 - Americans under age 65 who have severe and permanent disabilities must wait two years after receiving their first disability benefit check before they are eligible for Medicare coverage. In a new Fund report by researchers at the Medicare Rights Center, 21 individuals struggling to survive the waiting period tell their stories of financial hardship, pain, and suffering.
Fund Report