The Organization
The Commonwealth Fund-among the first private foundations started by a woman philanthropist, Anna M. Harkness-was established in 1918 with the broad charge to enhance the common good. Today, the mission of the Commonwealth Fund is to promote a high-performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for society's most vulnerable, including low-income people, the uninsured, and people of color. The Fund carries out this mandate by supporting independent research on health care issues and making grants to improve health care practice and policy.
Our Values and Commitment to Equity
The Commonwealth Fund envisions a health care system that values and benefits all people equally - one that combats racism and pursues equity, in treatment and outcomes as well as in leadership and decision-making. We believe this requires an alliance of people and institutions across society working together to recognize and value the lived experience of all individuals; ensure the delivery of compassionate, affordable, quality health care; and strive for equitable outcomes for all.
We aspire to racial equity, diversity, and inclusion in how we work. We place great value on the varied backgrounds and experiences our staff bring to our organization and encourage employees to bring their full selves to the workplace. We look for talented, nimble, empathetic, and supportive team players who are ready to roll up their sleeves, create impactful change, and celebrate accomplishments.
Program Summary
The U.S. health system is characterized by considerable geographic variation on insurance coverage, access to care, health status, quality of care, and the cost of care. It also lags other economically advanced countries by varying degrees in most of these areas. This means that some regions of the U.S. not only lag behind other regions on health performance indicators, they lag even further behind other economically advanced countries than national averages suggest.
In the area of insurance coverage, the Affordable Care Act improved overall U.S. performance relative to other countries and narrowed differences between some states. It also narrowed historical race and income inequities in coverage and reduced state differences in people's access to care and consumer financial problems stemming from uncovered health care encounters. In addition, there is consistent evidence that the coverage expansions led to improved reported health status in some states, a key indicator of mortality. The law's provisions in the area of health care quality and cost were less sweeping than those in coverage but resulted in important improvements.
Despite these ACA-related gains, the U.S. still lags significantly behind other countries on health care indicators and large differences remain between states. More than 25 million people remain uninsured, nearly a quarter of working age adults have insurance plans that are leaving them underinsured, the country has a growing consumer medical debt crisis, and health care costs are growing faster than median income in most states. In addition, over the last decade, the U.S. has experienced an unprecedented decline in life expectancy driven in large part by the COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid use epidemic. With the end of the federal protections implemented during the pandemic, millions of people are expected to lose insurance coverage with a large number projected to become uninsured.
In order to help meet these challenges, the Health Care Coverage and Access Program & Tracking Health System Performance research initiative conduct extramural and intramural research on the extent and quality of insurance, health care access and financial problems stemming from inadequate coverage and health system performance at the national and state, including examining and developing policy options aimed at improving performance.
The program and research initiative seek to educate and inform policy makers, the medial, health system leaders and practitioners, community leaders and the public. We accomplish this by tracking and assessing health system performance in the areas of coverage and access, costs, quality of care, health outcomes, and equity at the national, state and local levels. This includes developing and monitoring policies aimed at improving performance. The team also collaborates with other Fund programs on publications and products that support the Fund's priorities.
General Position Description
Reporting to the Senior Scholar and Vice President (Sara Collins) and working closely with the Research Associate, Researcher and Senior Scientist, the Program Assistant is the staff member responsible for providing daily support for the Health Care Coverage and Access Program and the Tracking Health System Performance initiative. The Program Assistant will be expected to perform a variety of duties ranging from daily administrative and grants management tasks to research assistance, creating charts in Power Point and tables in Excel, and contributing to Fund publications.
Specific Responsibilities
Grants Management (40%)
General Administrative Responsibilities (35%)
Research
Core Competencies and Qualifications
The Fund has a relatively small staff, and judgement, integrity, and the ability to listen with sensitivity to others are traits that are particularly important in an organization of the Fund's size, where teamwork is essential to effectiveness. The ability to work collegially with a variety of Fund staff and interest in and strong commitment to the Fund's mission and grants programs are key qualifications.
Location:
Position is based in our NYC location.
Salary and how to Apply:
Salary Range: $52,132.00-$65,165.00
Please apply using this link:
Employment at The Commonwealth Fund is based upon personal capabilities and qualifications without discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual preference, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, medical condition, disability, or any other protected characteristic as established by law.
The Organization
The Commonwealth Fund-among the first private foundations started by a woman philanthropist, Anna M. Harkness-was established in 1918 with the broad charge to enhance the common good. Today, the mission of the…