Survey Reveals a Majority of Physicians Support Inclusion of a Public Option in Reform Efforts

A Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) survey summarized in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that nearly 63 percent of physicians nationwide support proposals to expand health care coverage that include both public—where people under the age of 65 would have the choice of enrolling in a new public health insurance plan (like Medicare)—or private insurance options. The survey indicates that just 27 percent of physicians support a new program that does not include a public option and instead provides subsidies for low-income people to purchase private insurance. A majority of physicians also support expanding Medicare eligibility to those between the ages of 55 and 64.

Bending the Curve: Effective Steps to Address Long-Term Health Care Spending Growth

Much of the rhetoric around health reform has centered on the overriding need to reduce the growth of health care costs, but agreeing on approaches that accomplish this goal has proven elusive. According to a new report compiled by the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at the Brookings Institute and funded by RWJF, health care reform should include comprehensive efforts to achieve higher-value care. The strategy consists of four interrelated pillars.

RWJF Index: Confidence Among Medicare-Eligible Seniors Continues to Slide

The August Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Care Consumer Confidence Index (RWJF Index) finds that Americans’ confidence in their health insurance coverage and access to health care dropped slightly last month. The RWJF Index fell 1.1 points in August to 96.1, down from 97.2 in July. Confidence among Medicare-eligible seniors continued to slide, dropping 3.6 points to 103.3 in August. Confidence in this group has dropped a combined 14 points over the past two months.

Education Matters for Health

Few people think of education as a crucial path to health, yet a large body of evidence links education with health, even when other factors like income are taken into account. People with more education are likely to live longer, to experience better health outcomes, and to practice health-promoting behaviors such as exercising regularly, refraining from smoking, and obtaining timely health care check-ups and screenings. Furthermore, children of more-educated parents experience better health and other social advantages, including opportunities for educational attainment.

An issue brief prepared by the RWJF Commission to Build a Healthier America examines why, across America and generations, people with more education live longer and experience better health outcomes.

IOM Releases Action Steps for Local Governments to Prevent Childhood Obesity

Recognizing that local government officials are eager to address the childhood obesity epidemic, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released Local Government Action to Prevent Childhood Obesity, a report that serves as a practical guide for government officials at the city, town, township or county level who want to take action to address healthy eating and active living. The report recommends 58 action steps organized under 15 broad strategies. In addition, the IOM Committee also highlighted 12 of the most promising strategies.

Financial Incentives Drive Doctors' Practice Patterns

Two new studies of large medical groups cast light on two issues touching the health reform debate—improving care for chronic illness and reimbursing doctors based on the quality of their care. Both studies were funded by RWJF, the Commonwealth Fund and the California HealthCare Foundation.

A Snapshot of U.S. Physicians: Key Findings From the 2008 Health Tracking Physician Survey

According to this brief from the Center for Studying Health Systems Change, about three out of four physicians were accepting new Medicare patients, the vast majority of physicians contracted with managed care plans and nearly six in 10 physicians provided charity care in 2008.

An Update on Health Reform in Massachusetts

Health reform in Massachusetts has achieved nearly universal coverage—leaving the number of uninsured working-age adults at just 4 percent, well below the national rate of 20 percent for 18- to 64-year-olds. At the same time, Massachusetts’ reform effort enjoys a 72 percent approval rating statewide, according to a study by Urban Institute researcher Sharon Long.

RWJF Community Mourns Passing of Frank Karel

Frank Karel, a former vice president of communications at RWJF and Rockefeller Foundation and the nation's foremost advocate for philanthropy as a driver of social change, died September 19, at his home in Washington, D.C. Widely recognized as a preeminent thinker and innovator in health communications, Karel transformed the field. He developed and led many of RWJF's most successful communications initiatives and, in the process, helped the Foundation grow into the nation's largest and among its most respected health and health care philanthropies.