October 1, 2009 - As Congress and the Administration debate health care reform, it is instructive to look at the Massachusetts model, now in its third year. A study of workers in the Bay State who were interviewed in fall 2008 about their employer-sponsored health care coverage, following up on similar surveys in 2006 and 2007. Despite predictions that employers could reduce coverage or benefits under health reform, the results suggest the opposite, although premiums and out-of-pocket costs have increased for some employees in smaller companies. The study was cosponsored by The Commonwealth Fund and published in Health Affairs.
May 28, 2009 - Even in the face of economic hard times, Massachusetts has sustained gains in insurance coverage and access to care stemming from its landmark 2006 health reform and coverage expansion. However, some of the early gains in reducing barriers to care and improving the affordability of care had eroded by the fall of 2008, roughly two years after the Bay State began implementing the legislation signed into law by Gov. Mitt Romney in April 2006.
December 15, 2008 - Interruptions in Medicaid coverage are associated with a higher rate of hospitalization for conditions that can often be treated in an ambulatory care setting, including asthma, diabetes, and hypertension, according to a new study in today's issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
April 11, 2008 - In the face of sobering reports of highly variable health care delivery across the nation, as reported in The Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System's State Scorecard, nine states have been selected to participate in the State Quality Improvement Institute, an intensive, competitively-selected effort to help states plan and implement concrete action plans to improve performance across targeted quality indicators.
June 13, 2007 - There are large gaps in quality of care, access to care, avoidable hospitalizations and costs, equity and healthy lives among states, according to a new state scorecard from The Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System.
April 23, 2007 - As the debate over reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) heats up in Washington, a new survey of leaders in health policy and health care finds that large majorities feel the program has been successful in increasing access to health care for low income children (71%) and in reducing the rate of uninsured, low-income children (65%).
October 6, 2005 - As states struggle with mounting Medicaid budgets and greater than ever need among their populations, the overwhelming majority of respondents to the latest Commonwealth Fund Health Care Opinion Leaders survey say that Medicaid is important to achieving many goals of the U.S. health care system, particularly in improving access to health care for those with low incomes.
July 29, 2005 - As states around the country grapple with rising Medicaid budgets, a new study in Oregon shows that that Oregon's 2003 Medicaid redesign has left former Medicaid recipients with no coverage for extended periods.
June 7, 2005 - While some states could reduce their uninsured rate by as much as 20 percent under federal policy proposals such as tax credits, other states might not see much change, says a new Health Affairs study.
June 24, 2004 - A new Commonwealth Fund report outlines a range of initiatives that states and localities are using to end racial and ethnic health disparities, and offers practical strategies for state policymakers and health leaders seeking to improve health care coverage, access, and outcomes for minorities.
March 30, 2004 - More than two in five Midwestern adults say they had problems with their medical bills or were paying off accrued medical debt, says a Commonwealth Fund report released here today at a forum on the uninsured.
February 12, 2004 - As the federal government begins to implement the Medicare prescription drug benefit, State Pharmacy Assistance Programs (SPAPs) offer lessons for managing escalating program costs and reducing medication errors while ensuring access to prescription drugs for low-income elderly and disabled enrollees, a new report from The Commonwealth Fund finds.
September 16, 2003 - Children enrolled in Medicaid managed care plans had lower rates than those in commercial plans for quality indicators such as immunization rates and well-child visits, according to a study in the September 17th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), conducted with support from The Commonwealth Fund.
November 19, 2002 - Faced with inaction on the federal level to stem the rising tide of uninsured, states are carrying out their own innovative programs to increase the number of residents with health insurance coverage. A new report from The Commonwealth Fund profiles such programs in Oregon, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Georgia, and analyzes elements common to each state's success, including strong leadership and commitment, seamless coverage for disparate groups, and involving providers and consumer advocates in program design.
August 27, 2002 - A new survey of New York employers and health benefits reveals that workers in the state's low-wage firms are less likely to be offered health insurance than workers in low-wage firms nationwide, according to a report from The Commonwealth Fund. Workers in New York's low-wage and small firms are less likely to be offered health benefits, and are more likely to face long waiting times, higher premium costs, and less generous benefit packages than their counterparts in non-low-wage and larger businesses in the state.