View » Health Insurance

Nearly 47 million Americans do not have health insurance, and an estimated 16 million more are considered 'underinsured' because they have high out-of-pocket costs relative to their income. Lack of adequate coverage makes it difficult for people to get the health care that they need and burdens them with large medical bills when they do get care.

View » Medicare

Medicare, which covers about 42 million people, provides health insurance to some of society's most vulnerable—the elderly, the frail, and the disabled. As the program enters its fifth decade, it faces great challenges: a new drug benefit, a restructured managed care program, and growing pressure to control costs.

View » Health System Performance

For those who participate in the U.S. health care system, it's clear that there's an urgent need for transformation. The Commonwealth Fund's Commission on High Performance Health System seeks to move the U.S. toward a health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for those who are most vulnerable.

View » Health Care Quality

Americans are beginning to understand that the quality of their health care is often compromised by medical errors; disparities by race, income, and insurance status; the absence of evidence-based standards; and the lack of personal attention and continuity in care.

View » Patient-Centered Care

The Institute of Medicine names 'patient-centered care' as one of six domains of quality. And research shows that orienting the health system around the preferences and needs of patients has the potential to improve patients' satisfaction with care as well as their clinical outcomes.

View » Health Care Disparities

Research demonstrates disparities in health care delivery and status based on race and ethnicity. For example, African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans suffer disproportionately from chronic disease, cancer, and infectious disease.

View » Child Health/Development

During their early years, children experience tremendous physical, emotional, and intellectual growth. It's crucial to monitor this development, but a recent national survey found that just over half of parents say their child has ever had a developmental assessment during a pediatric visit.

View » Care of the Elderly

Providing accessible, affordable, and high-quality long-term care services to an aging population presents great challenges. A grassroots movement in the nursing home field proposes a radical departure from the traditional nursing home model—in effect a 'culture change.'

View » State Health Policy

Across the nation, states face the common challenges of expanding health coverage, improving the quality of care, and controlling costs. Many states are developing and implementing reforms to address these issues, offering a nationwide laboratory of experimentation.

View » International Health Policy

Providing access to health care and improving the quality and efficiency of health care services are challenges shared by most industrialized countries. Cross-national comparisons of health system performance and policy approaches can promote progress at home and abroad.