During 2018, the Commonwealth Fund's centennial year, we continued our efforts to advance health care for all. When viewed through the lens of the most popular publications, it was a year dedicated in large part to showing how Americans covered through the Affordable Care Act fared as the law came under attack from Congress and the White House.
The Connection: Notable Events in Health Care in 2018; New Study Comparing High-Income Nations Finds U.S. Women More Likely to Die in Pregnancy and Childbirth; and More
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The Connection: Notable Events in Health Care in 2018; New Study Comparing High-Income Nations Finds U.S. Women More Likely to Die in Pregnancy and Childbirth; and More
Top 10 Publications of 2018
Notable Events in Health Care in 2018
In a To the Point post, Commonwealth Fund President David Blumenthal, M.D., and Shanoor Seervai looked back on the tumultuous year in health care. Also listen to our year-end episode of The Dose, where Seervai and Blumenthal talk about the biggest developments in 2018 and what they mean for 2019.
U.S. women are more likely to die in pregnancy and childbirth and to skip care because of costs, a study of high-income nations finds.
Commonwealthfnd https://buff.ly/2Cmu7vX International Health Policy and Practice InnovationsNew Study Comparing High-Income Nations Finds U.S. Women More Likely to Die in Pregnancy and Childbirth
A new Commonwealth Fund report contains troubling news about the state of women's health and health care in the United States, with many of the problems linked to issues of affordability.
Compared with those in 10 other high-income nations, women in the U.S. have the highest death rates from complications during pregnancy and childbirth — 14 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared with just four per 100,000 in Sweden. Women in the U.S. also struggle to afford health care relative to their peers. One in four U.S. women spends $2,000 or more out of pocket for health care, compared with fewer than 11 percent of women in most other wealthy nations.
International Health News Brief, 2019: No. 1
The latest issue looks at a consumer price comparison tool in Sweden; British Columbia's opioid lawsuit; efforts to strengthen cooperation on health technology in Europe; and more.
Transforming Care: Identifying and Addressing Health Disparities Among Hispanics
The U.S. Hispanic population is large and diverse, and that diversity extends to health status. Health differences among Hispanic groups are often linked to whether members have health insurance, speak primarily Spanish or English, or grew up in the U.S. or another country. The new issue of Transforming Care delves into efforts led by clinicians and health plans to identify and address health disparities among the Hispanics they serve.
Engaging Primary Care Clinicians Is Key to ACO Efforts to Care for High-Need Patients
In a new Commonwealth Fund report, researchers led by Ann O'Malley of Mathematica Policy Research explore the population segmentation strategies used by mature ACOs to provide services tailored to the needs of their high-need, high-cost patients. The authors also discuss the challenges organizations encounter in assessing the effectiveness of their approaches.
Who Would Benefit from Proposed Changes to Medicare Part D?
In a new To the Point post, the Commonwealth Fund's Shawn Bishop explains that pharmaceutical manufacturers are putting pressure on Congress to make two changes: roll back the discount on brand-name drugs that manufacturers are required to offer beneficiaries in the Part D coverage "donut hole," and block an increase in the amount beneficiaries must spend in the donut hole before catastrophic coverage kicks in. "These proposals would financially benefit drug manufacturers more than Medicare beneficiaries," Bishop says.
Webinar: Integrating Nurses into Complex Care Teams
Please join us on Thursday January 17, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET, for a webinar exploring the integration of nurses into complex-care teams hosted by the Better Care Playbook.
A panel of expert nurses will address lessons from the field, explore emerging best practices, and discuss the growing role of nurses in complex care. Presenters include:
- Moderator: Kathy Duncan, Institute for Healthcare Improvement
- Mary Naylor, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and the NewCourtland Center for Transitions and Health
- Susan Reinhard, AARP Public Policy Institute and Center to Champion Nursing in America
- Sarah L. Szanton, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and Center for Innovative Care in Aging