November 6, 2009 - This Commonwealth Fund issue brief examines an unprecedented use of state health insurance regulatory authority to promote health system reform. In Rhode Island, regulators have used this authority to implement a set of standards to promote increased affordability through a series of requirements aimed at strengthening and expanding the state's primary care infrastructure.
Issue Brief
October 27, 2009 - In an attempt to control rapid growth in hospital costs, beginning in the mid-1970s seven states implemented rate-setting programs to regulate hospital payments. Although all but two have since been discontinued, these states' experiences offer lessons for policymakers as they continue searching for ways to control rising health care costs.
Issue Brief
October 9, 2009 - To move toward a new model of nursing home regulation, the states and federal government must strike a balance between the traditional regulatory approach to weed out substandard facilities and a partnership model aimed at promoting high performance. This Commonwealth Fund issue brief highlights the importance of how such a model is structured, as well as the need to adequately train and educate regulatory staff and providers about culture change.
Issue Brief
October 8, 2009 - As a companion to the 2009 State Scorecard, this report profiles seven health systems: six that rank among the top quartile of states—Vermont, Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin—plus Delaware, which was among the most-improved states from 2007 to 2009.
Fund Report
October 1, 2009 - This Commonwealth Fund-supported study of the state's health reform finds that employer-based coverage in Massachusetts has increased, as has the scope and quality of coverage as assessed by workers. However, some employees in small firms have seen a significant rise in premiums and out-of-pocket expenses.
In the Literature
September 10, 2009 - A number of experts believe that the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Act of 2009 has the potential to transform health care for the children it serves. In this Commonwealth Fund report, researchers offer their recommendations for improving CHIP outreach and enrollment, as well as the quality of care enrollees receive. See a table of provisions. Review presentations from a webinar held September 15 to learn more.
Fund Report
August 20, 2009 - North Carolina's Assuring Better Child Health and Development program has quintupled the number of screening tests administered during Medicaid well-child visits to identify young children at risk for developmental disabilities and delays. This Commonwealth Fund issue brief examines the key elements of this program that have resulted in fewer children entering school with unrecognized or untreated developmental problems.
Issue Brief
June 22, 2009 - Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC) is a public–private partnership between the state and 14 nonprofit community care networks. The networks comprise essential local providers that deliver key components of a "medical home" for low-income adults and children enrolled in Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program.
Case Study
May 28, 2009 - This issue brief describes how the Connector works to promote administrative ease, eliminate paperwork, offer portability of coverage, and provide some standardization and choice of plans. Some of the structural components and functions of the Connector may be transferable to a national health reform model, say the authors.
Issue Brief
April 22, 2009 - This report from the National Academy for State Health Policy and The Commonwealth Fund highlights strategies states can use to improve care coordination and case management in the delivery of health services for young children, as well as strengthen linkages between primary care providers and other child and family service providers.
Fund Report
April 15, 2009 - In this Commonwealth Fund issue brief, researchers from the Center for Health Care Strategies illustrate how return on investment (ROI) forecasting can help Medicaid programs allocate resources efficiently and identify ways to maximize value in health care purchasing.
Issue Brief
March 10, 2009 - A program in New York has changed the state's health care landscape by providing grants to regional alliances seeking to implement interoperable health information technology (IT). All alliances that received grants in 2006 remain operational, in contrast to the high failure rate found among similar groups in other states.
In the Literature
January 12, 2009 - A new Commonwealth Fund report examines the impact recent citizenship documentation rules have had on the stability of health insurance coverage for low-income children covered by state public programs. It finds that getting and keeping coverage has become more difficult for many families.
Fund Report
December 16, 2008 - A study of adult Medicaid patients in California found that beneficiaries who experienced interruptions in their Medicaid benefits had a substantially higher risk of hospitalization for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions--like asthma, congestive heart failure, and diabetes--than did those with continuous coverage.
In the Literature
October 28, 2008 - Employers in Massachusetts have not dropped health insurance coverage for their employees as a result of state health reform legislation, finds a new Health Affairs study supported in part by the Fund. Likewise, employers have also not tightened eligibility standards, increased workers' premiums, or scaled back on the scope of coverage.
In the Literature