New Commission Seeks to Upgrade Nation’s Public Health System
Building on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic response, a new commission will lay out a vision for a strengthened national public health system to bolster U.S. capacity and capabilities at the federal, state, and local levels. Margaret Hamburg, M.D., a former public health commissioner for New York City and head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will chair the nonpartisan Commonwealth Fund Commission on a National Public Health System. The commission is expected to publish a report with policy recommendations later this spring.
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Assessing Medicare Advantage: Choosing Plans and Evaluating Quality
This year, the average Medicare beneficiary can choose among 39 Medicare Advantage plans — the highest number in a decade. But how do people know which plans are the best fit for their needs? And how reliable is Medicare’s star-rating system, which
informs the public on plan quality
? In the latest installments of our Medicare Advantage series, a partnership between the Commonwealth Fund and Arnold Ventures, Martha Hostetter and Sarah Klein continue their exploration of what works well in Medicare Advantage and where reforms may be needed. |
It’s the Patents, Stupid — Why Drugs Cost So Much in the U.S.
Americans pay more for prescription drugs than people in other countries do. As many medicines become increasingly unaffordable — particularly for people with low incomes — policymakers in both parties are feeling the urgency to address the problem. But what can they do? On the latest episode of The Dose podcast, Robin Feldman, a professor at the UC Hastings College of Law and an expert in intellectual property and pharmaceutical law, offers some answers.
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Ten Strategies to Help States Slow Health Care Cost Growth
As states contend with soaring health care costs, Commonwealth Fund–supported researchers have developed practical guidance for policymakers seeking workable strategies to contain this threat to people’s health and economic security. The strategies, chosen by leading health policy experts and economists, address the primary drivers of high spending and cost growth in commercial health care markets. For each approach, the authors describe key design and implementation issues, potential impact on cost growth reduction, health equity considerations, and more.
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How Primary Care Is Faring Two Years into COVID-19
Thanks to years of underinvestment and workforce shortages, the U.S. primary care system was not prepared for COVID-19. The pandemic has weakened the system further. On To the Point, the Commonwealth Fund’s Celli Horstman and Corinne Lewis assess the state of U.S. primary care and discuss how experts are coalescing around a core set of reforms to strengthen it for the long term.
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Expanding Access to Mental Health Care
In his State of the Union address, President Biden pointed to his administration’s new strategy to build the nation’s mental health care workforce and make it easier for more Americans to get the treatment they need, in part by offering more services through primary care providers. Last year, Commonwealth Fund researchers explored what other countries are doing to
help more people find mental health care. They also spoke with experts about what’s hampering expanded access to mental health services in the United States. |
Massachusetts Data Show the Risks of Health Care Sharing Ministries
People who belong to a health care sharing ministry (HCSM) make monthly payments to help pay the qualifying medical expenses of fellow members. While these entities may resemble health insurance in some ways, they are largely unregulated and don’t provide the protections that traditional insurance plans do. According to Georgetown University researchers, enrollees in Massachusetts, the only state to require regular data submissions from HCSMs, aren’t receiving reliable protection against high medical bills. The authors recommend that all states collect and make such data public.
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