As we approach the midterm elections, polls are showing the vast majority of Americans believe that even if you are sick you should be able to find health insurance coverage you can afford. In a new commentary in STAT, Commonwealth Fund President David Blumenthal, M.D., points out that many Republicans are now also onboard with guaranteed coverage for those with preexisting conditions — a tenet of Obamacare.
The Connection: Shift in Support for Coverage for People with Preexisting Conditions; Extending Alternative Payment Models to More Medicaid Providers; and More
“Historic” Shift in Support for Coverage for People with Preexisting Conditions
For the first time in our history, Americans are agreeing that even if you are sick you should be able to find private #healthinsurance you can afford. 81% of voters now think it should be illegal to deny coverage to people with #PreExistingConditions.
CommonwealthFnd https://buff.ly/2C7nOwy Medicare and MedicaidAlternative Payment Models Extend to More Medicaid Providers
In a new post on To the Point, Lindsey Browning and Katherine Minnes of the National Association of Medicaid Directors describe how states are extending the use of alternative payment models to behavioral health, safety-net, and long-term-care providers in an effort to improve care for high-need patients.
Examining Provider Networks and Access in Medicaid Managed Care
George Washington University's Sara Rosenbaum and colleagues look at how federal regulations for Medicaid managed care plans are affecting state standards for travel times to physician offices, provider-patient ratios, cultural competency, and more.
Fragmented Care Is a Risk Factor for Chronically Ill Patients
Chronically ill patients who receive highly fragmented care — from multiple providers, with few visits per provider — are more likely to visit emergency departments or be admitted to hospitals than chronically ill patients with less fragmented care, according to Commonwealth Fund-supported researchers led by Lisa Kern, M.D., of Weill Cornell Medical College.
Examining the Long-Term Needs of Younger Americans with Disabilities
Commonwealth Fund–supported researchers at the Long-Term Quality Alliance examined what we know and don’t know about working-age disabled Americans’ needs for long-term support. They share their findings in a new report.
Listen to The Dose: A Menu of Medical Prices
In the second episode of The Dose, host Shanoor Seervai talks with Natacha Lemaire of the French Ministry of Health. Natacha spent a year in the U.S. learning to navigate the health care system for herself and her family.
Improving Health and Health Care in Rural America
In a To the Point post celebrating the Commonwealth Fund's centennial, Mary Wakefield, professor at Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies, reflects on the Fund’s historic efforts to support health care provision in rural areas, and what needs to be done to address the challenges facing these communities today.