May 6, 2013 - Combining Medicare's hospital, physician, and prescription drug coverage with commonly purchased private supplemental coverage into one health plan could produce national savings of $180 billion over a decade while improving care for beneficiaries, a new Health Affairs study finds.
In the Literature
March 13, 2013 - Based on interviews with clinical and administrative leaders, this report describes the experiences of seven accountable care organizations (ACOs).
Fund Report
February 27, 2013 - In invited testimony before the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging, Commonwealth Fund president David Blumenthal made the case for comprehensive payment and delivery system changes that produce lower costs and better value not just in Medicare, but across the entire U.S. health system.
Testimony
January 23, 2013 - This case study describes how a large nonprofit home health care provider created health plans to serve this population and, in particular, how its customized care management approach has led to reductions in hospitalizations and readmissions.
Case Study
January 8, 2013 - In this Commonwealth Fund–supported study, researchers set out to determine whether there was any relationship between geographic variation in Medicare Part D spending and medication-taking behavior among beneficiaries with diabetes or heart failure.
In Brief
December 14, 2012 - This report on 59 hospital-based organizations that were members of a collaborative created to support the transition to accountable care finds that that organizations are pursuing different paths toward accountable care.
Fund Report
October 2, 2012 - With President Obama and Governor Romney offering fundamentally different visions for the nation's health system, the presidential election provides a stark choice for U.S. voters. This analysis contrasts the potential impact of implementing the Affordable Care Act in full with Romney’s proposals to repeal the law, eliminate many of the new requirements for insurance markets, and make changes in Medicaid and Medicare.
Fund Report
October 2, 2012 - In invited testimony before the House of Representatives Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, Commonwealth Fund president Karen Davis discussed two approaches to sustaining Medicare, the vital public insurance program for seniors and disabled Americans.
Testimony
August 9, 2012 - This report shares the perspectives of hospitals and health systems taking part in the Premier health care alliance's accountable care implementation collaborative. Lessons relate to the need for ACOs to have certain core structural components; the viability of different organizational models; and more.
Fund Report
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
May 8, 2012 - The Commonwealth Fund-supported author of this Health Affairs article examined variations in beneficiaries' use of 13 health care services in 60 communities to investigate: discernible patterns; the extent of variation in service categories across sites; and which services vary to the extent that they account for disproportionate geographic variation in total use.
In the Literature
March 21, 2012 - In this issue brief, researchers used a simulation model to predict the budgetary impact of a permanent increase in Medicare primary care fees.
Issue Brief
December 19, 2011 - This Commonwealth Fund–supported study examined data from 26 nursing homes involved in the Interventions to Reduce Care Transfers program, which provides nursing homes with training, tools, and resources for reducing unnecessary hospitalization.
In Brief
December 19, 2011 - This Commonwealth Fund–supported study sought to test the hypothesis by investigating whether hospital quality is inversely associated with the proportion of minority patients served.
In Brief
December 15, 2011 - This study, coauthored by Commonwealth Fund senior policy analyst Mark Zezza, compared variations in spending and inpatient admissions by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, the state's largest health insurer, and Medicare across 32 Texas regions.
In Brief