September 13, 2012 - This issue brief finds that the high costs and relatively low enrollment numbers of the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan created under the Affordable Care Act, and the state-run high-risk pools operating in 35 states, indicate that high-risk pools in general are not a tenable long-term solution for insuring this population.
Issue Brief
August 29, 2012 - Compared with France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, the United States has a higher rate of potentially preventable deaths. Moreover, the pace of improvement in preventing deaths that could have been avoided with timely and effective health care is slowest in the U.S., according to this Commonwealth Fund–supported analysis.
In the Literature
August 23, 2012 - Citing the experiences of the Netherlands and Switzerland—where exchanges have been part of the health care landscape for some time—the authors of this study argue that additional measures will be needed to control costs and improve quality.
In Brief
August 22, 2012 - In the new state health insurance exchanges, consumers will be able to compare health plans with respect to actuarial value, or the percentage of health care costs that a plan would pay for the average person. This analysis illustrates the out-of-pocket costs that might result from plans with various designs and actuarial values.
Issue Brief
August 3, 2012 - Large numbers of Americans experience gaps in their health care coverage, according to a Commonwealth Fund-supported study. Eighty-nine million people—36.3 percent of Americans ages 4 to 64—were uninsured for at least one month between 2004 and 2007, including 23 million Americans who lost coverage more than once.
In the Literature
July 25, 2012 - This analysis of state exchange laws offers a glimpse into the choices being made by the 13 states that, together with the District of Columbia, as of May 2012 had begun the process of establishing an exchange, either through legislation or executive order. Also see an interactive map showing the status of state health exchange legislation and key provisions of laws and executive orders.
Issue Brief
July 18, 2012 - The authors of this Commonwealth Fund-supported study found that Medicare beneficiaries are more satisfied with their health coverage—and have fewer health care access and medical bill problems—than adults with private insurance.
In the Literature
July 17, 2012 - This brief outlines differences that stand out in three states' initial approaches: the numbers and types of people initially appointed to the boards governing the exchanges; the role of the board relative to the state legislature; how the exchanges interact with existing insurance markets; and the involvement of stakeholders in each state.
Issue Brief
July 13, 2012 - Twenty percent of U.S. women ages 19 to 64 were uninsured in 2010, up from 15 percent in 2000. This issue brief examines the implications of poor coverage for women in the United States by comparing their experiences to those of women in 10 other industrialized nations, all of which have universal health insurance systems.
Issue Brief
June 8, 2012 - In 2011, 13.7 million young adults ages 19 to 25 stayed on or joined their parents' health plans, including 6.6 million who would likely not have been able to do so before passage of the Affordable Care Act, according to this Commonwealth Fund report. But not all young adults have parents with health plans they can join, and many still experience gaps in coverage and face medical bill problems and medical debt.
Issue Brief
May 23, 2012 - More than half of Americans who have health coverage through the individual insurance market are in plans that would not meet the standards for "essential benefits" set by the Affordable Care Act. Most people enrolled in employer group plans, however, have more comprehensive coverage with less cost-sharing.
In the Literature
May 16, 2012 - A new analysis of the Commonwealth Fund 2010 Biennial Health Insurance Survey demonstrates that when low-income adults have both health insurance and a medical home, they are less likely to report cost-related access problems, more likely to be up-to-date with preventive screenings, and report greater satisfaction with the quality of their care.
Issue Brief
April 19, 2012 - One-quarter of adults ages 19 to 64 experienced a gap in their health insurance in 2011, with a majority remaining uninsured for one year or more, according to the The Commonwealth Fund Health Insurance Tracking Survey of U.S. Adults.
Issue Brief
April 13, 2012 - This issue brief lays out a number of innovative strategies CO-OP organizers are developing to increase the odds of long-term sustainability and economic success of this approach to providing affordable health plans.
Issue Brief
April 6, 2012 - Under the Affordable Care Act, health plans will need to report on their quality improvement activities regarding plan or coverage benefits and certain provider reimbursement structures. In this Commonwealth Fund report, the authors propose a framework that can be used to identify and develop measures and reporting requirements.
Fund Report