The Commonwealth Fund is a private foundation dedicated to affordable, quality health care--for all.
External link for The Commonwealth Fund
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Ben Sommers and I have a new piece up at JAMA Health Forum on how to think about generalizing lessons from Medicaid unwinding to looming new red tape in the program — work-reporting requirements and more frequent eligibility redeterminations. We appreciate support from The Commonwealth Fund for this work! Full text here: https://lnkd.in/erj-BG42
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Despite changes to the federal funding landscape, 3 essential hospitals are finding creative solutions to drive ambitious sustainability projects. Through strategic energy investments like theirs, hospitals in the Practice Greenhealth network nationwide saved $154M in 2023-2024 – money that can be directly reinvested in community care. Through a cohort funded by the WellsFargo Foundation and The Commonwealth Fund: 🔹Grady Memorial Hospital identified the opportunity to replace its offsite steam plant with an onsite system that would save $30M over 40 years. 🔹Henry Ford Wyandotte is considering replacing indoor heating units past their useful life with heat pumps powered by water from the Detroit River. 🔹Jackson South is discovering energy efficiency updates that can help save money ahead of expected 10-15 % increases in electricity prices next year. The lesson? Energy efficiency isn't just environmental responsibility – it's a financial strategy that keeps doors open. Read the full story of how these hospitals are building a replicable model: https://lnkd.in/g3rP_MkR #Sustainability #HealthcareLeadership #ClimateHealth #SustainableHealthcare
State policymakers need to prioritize high-value health care investments now more than ever—and the evidence shows high-quality primary care improves health at lower cost. A new report from National Academy for State Health Policy and Milbank Memorial Fund offers state policymakers a menu of policy actions to strengthen #primarycare, as well as state success stories. The 5 priority areas are: 1️⃣ Make and Keep Primary Care a Top Policy Priority 2️⃣ Pay Primary Care More and Differently 3️⃣ Make It Easier for People to Access Their Primary Care Clinician 4️⃣ Expand and Support the Current and Future Primary Care Workforce 5️⃣ Build Provider Capacity to Provide Patient-Centered, Whole Person Care #primarycare #healthcarecosts
Charitable giving is here for good. And it's telling new stories — one neighborhood at a time. With support from The Commonwealth Fund, Epicenter NYC is expanding its local health journalism to further elevate the voices of New Yorkers who are often left out of the conversation. Whether it’s addressing vaccine misinformation and food insecurity or highlighting long Covid and mental health, these stories are shaped by and for the communities they serve. Our support enabled Epicenter NYC to produce even more health coverage in a year, stories that reached more than 30,000 readers across all five boroughs, from immigrant caregivers to multigenerational households. The Commonwealth Fund is proud to support community-led journalism that makes trusted health care information more inclusive, accessible, and local. These aren’t just stories, they’re resources. They help people access care, understand health risks, and feel seen. GivingIsHereForGood.org #GivingIsHereForGood #ShareTheGoodYouDo
The Affordable Care Act’s state-based marketplaces are being dramatically altered by new federal regulations. The changes will impose substantial new costs and burdens on states and the many residents who rely on the marketplaces for coverage. Some of these disruptions will take effect at the same time the enhanced federal tax credits for marketplace coverage are set to expire. Together, these changes are likely to destabilize the individual market and undermine states’ ability to support access to affordable coverage. Learn about the changes on the blog 👓
Since their inception 15 years ago, ACA premium tax credits have enabled millions of Americans to get affordable #healthinsurance. Now, they face a critical test with 2021 enhancements set to expire at the end of the year. A new Commonwealth Fund report explains that current proposed policy changes could: ⬆️ Increase the number of uninsured 💰 Raise premiums 🧾 Drive up federal costs for uncompensated care Read more from authors Jeanne M. Lambrew of The Century Foundation and Aviva Aron-Dine of The Brookings Institution ⤵️ https://buff.ly/TSNFxSi
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Getting buy-in and funding for your sustainability programs isn’t easy. Finance executives may think these initiatives are too expensive. Operations leaders often have higher priorities. And other senior leaders might worry that these efforts will distract their teams from core business activities. To get your climate initiatives off the back of a napkin and out into the world, you've got to make a compelling case to your leaders. Our recent project for The Commonwealth Fund, the Guide to Communicating Sustainability, identifies five strategies to help with this: 📊 Tie your projects to business objectives. Connect sustainability directly to your organization’s goals and show how it moves the business forward. 💪 Find a champion. It’s much easier to gather support when your message is coming from someone your audience already trusts. ❤️ Talk to what people care about. Frame your initiatives in a way that makes them personally relevant to the people you’re speaking to. 📣 Build on existing initiatives and communication channels. Connect with other communications efforts in your organization that support programs to reduce waste, cut costs, or improve efficiencies. 👁️ Speak in clear language. Rather than using scientific terms or sustainability jargon, translate your messages into relatable human language and experiences.
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This is just one example of how a chronic condition impacts people's ability to get and maintain employment. Not only does the lack of Medicaid expansion make it more challenging for Texans with epilepsy to access needed care, new work requirements will make maintaining coverage and accessing care even more difficult across the 40 states that have adopted Medicaid expansion. “I can go to any of the four states that border Texas and get Medicaid,” said Smith, who lives in Floresville, southeast of San Antonio. “In Texas, no ma’am.” ... “Get seizure-free, get a job, have a seizure, lose their job, lose their insurance and they’re back at our clinic,” said Martin. “We see this cycle over and over.”
Having Epilepsy and No Health Insurance Can Exact a Heavy Toll. The Plight Is Likely More Common in Texas.
🚧 Access to Behavioral Health Care Will Suffer Under Federal Budget Cuts The #behavioralhealth crisis in the United States continues to worsen. If proposed federal budget cuts and reorganizations of health agencies go through, things could get even worse. On To the Point, The Kennedy Forum’s Nathaniel Counts details the wide-ranging effects of the Trump administration’s proposed budget, which includes $31 billion in cuts to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The budget would also combine certain agencies, including those focused on behavioral health. Together, these changes could threaten access to life-saving care, Counts says, leading to gaps in coverage and hampering the discovery of innovative behavioral health treatments. “This country demands and deserves a budget that meets the needs of the moment.” https://buff.ly/3a8tr92
Provisions in the new tax law may help some #Medicare beneficiaries. Others, though, particularly lower-income beneficiaries, may face challenges in accessing health care and food benefits. Read the new blog for a look at the wide-ranging impact of the recently signed bill. https://buff.ly/oxYhNqV