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New Analysis of Presidential Candidates' Health Plans Details Divergent Approaches to Health System Reform

October 2, 2008 - A new report from The Commonwealth Fund examines key differences and areas of agreement in the health system reform proposals of presidential candidates Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama.

New Report: Pilot Test Shows Patient-Centered Medical Homes for Primary Care Can Reduce Hospital Admissions and Total Medical Costs

September 10, 2008 - Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania reduced hospital admissions by 20 percent and saved 7 percent in total medical costs by providing a patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model of care--including around-the-clock access to primary and specialty care, and physician and patient access to electronic health records (EHRs)--according to first-year results from pilot-test sites.

Extra Payments to Medicare Advantage Plans to Total $8.5 Billion

September 4, 2008 - Private Medicare Advantage (MA) plans 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 report from The Commonwealth Fund.

Statement from Karen Davis: New Census Data on Uninsured Americans

August 26, 2008 - Today, the Census Bureau released the latest data on the number of Americans without health insurance. The number of uninsured individuals fell to 45.7 million in 2007 from 47.0 million in 2006.

New Survey Findings: 79 Million U.S. Adults Have Medical Bill Problems or Are Paying Off Medical Debt; Low and Moderate Income Families Hit Hardest

August 18, 2008 - The proportion of working-age Americans who have medical bill problems or who are paying off medical debt climbed from 34 percent to 41 percent between 2005 and 2007, bringing the total to 72 million, according to recent survey findings from The Commonwealth Fund.

New Survey: 82 Percent of American Think Health Care System Needs Major Overhaul

August 7, 2008 - Americans are dissatisfied with the U.S. health care system and 82 percent think it should be fundamentally changed or completely rebuilt, according to a new survey released today by The Commonwealth Fund.

Glenn Hackbarth Joins Commonwealth Fund Board of Directors

July 31, 2008 - Glenn Hackbarth, J.D., M.A., chair of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) and an independent consultant, has been elected to the Commonwealth Fund Board of Directors.

Adding Long-Term Care Benefit to Medicare Is Best Way to Ensure Affordability for Families, Say Health Care Opinion Leaders

July 21, 2008 - Adequate financing for long-term care, improving the quality of long term care services, and developing an adequate, skilled workforce are some of the urgent challenges facing long-term care in the future, say four of five respondents to the latest Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey.

Second National Scorecard on U.S. Health Care System Finds No Overall Improvement; Steep Decline in Access, Scores on Efficiency Especially Low

July 17, 2008 - A new national scorecard from The Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System finds that the U.S. health care system has failed to improve overall and that scores on access have declined significantly since the first national scorecard in 2006.

View all » The Commonwealth Fund in the Media

Boston Globe Op-Ed: How Rehospitalizations are Hurting Medicare

August 14, 2008 - One of the biggest health care challenges facing Congress is avoiding cutting Medicare's physician fees while controlling costs for the program. In an op-ed published today in the Boston Globe, Commonwealth Fund board member Robert Pozen and Commonwealth Fund senior vice president Cathy Schoen suggest a practical way to save Medicare billions of dollars--by preventing avoidable hospital readmissions.

Information Technology Survey Cited in New York Times Editorial

June 24, 2008 - A June 24 New York Times editorial, Our Pen and Paper Doctors cited a 2006 Commonwealth Fund survey that found nearly all doctors in the Netherlands and the vast majority in Australia, New Zealand and Britain were using electronic medical records. By comparison, only 28 percent of U.S. doctors and 23 percent of Canadian doctors said they used electronic medical records (EMRs).

Plight of the Underinsured

June 12, 2008 - A June 12, 2008 New York Times editorial focused on a Commonwealth Fund study published in Health Affairs that found an estimated 25 million adults in the United States are underinsured. Also see a NewsHour analysis on the study, featuring an interview with lead author Cathy Schoen.

View all »Media Tipsheet

March 2007

In this issue: Karen Davis selected as CBO advisor; Davis editorial in NEJM calls for payment reform; and more.

January 2007

In this issue: Fund President testifies before the HELP Committee; opinion leaders again say that covering the uninsured is the top health policy priority; and more.

November 2006

In this issue: Election signals hope for health care reform; internationl survey finds primary care doctors in the U.S. do not have the tools or support to provide the best care possible; and more.