Dive Brief:
- States did a poor job of improving health care access, quality, costs and outcomes over the past five years, according to a Commonwealth Fund report, FierceHealthcare reports.
- Researchers looked at 42 health indicators between 2007 and 2012, and found that in many states, access and affordability of health care actually declined among adults younger than 65.
- Health care spending rose $491 billion, reaching $2.8 trillion nationally.
Dive Insight:
All is not negative in the Commonwealth Fund report. Researchers note that combined federal and state actions can potentially promote performance gains throughout the country. However, we clearly face considerable challenges today.