Podcast: New Directions in Health Care

Sandy Hausman looks at a new study on state trends for employer-sponsored insurance premiums and deductibles that found a 50 percent increase in premiums between 2003 and 2010, and a 63 percent increase in the employee share of the premium for a family plan. Also discussed are Affordable Care Act provisions that should help lower premiums.

Relatively little attention has been paid to the ways the health reform law seeks to strengthen the delivery system. This episode addresses how provisions to improve transparency, encourage more organized care, and promote payment reform affect those on the frontlines.

Americans usually know what they can expect to pay for products—and most understand that you get what you pay for—but when it comes to health care, that's not the case. This episode looks at how sharing information about quality and costs with the public, payers, and health care professionals may change the way health care is delivered.

Sandy Hausman reports on the Safety Net Medical Home Initiative, a Commonwealth Fund-supported demonstration project designed to help clinics that serve low-income patients become medical homes.