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American adults with chronic illnesses that limit their ability to care for themselves spend more than $21,000 per person for health care, about four times the average for all adults. Despite that higher spending, however, a new analysis from the Commonwealth Fund finds that those with the greatest medical need — defined as people with at least three chronic diseases and a limited ability to care for themselves — were more likely than other patients to have delayed or done without medical care or a prescription, and they’re more likely to say that their doctors were disrespectful, didn’t spend enough time with them, or didn’t listen or explain things carefully. (Braverman, 8/31)

This year, taxpayers will cover about 70 percent of what is spent on health care in California, according to a new analysis released Wednesday by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. Many people assume that the U.S. health care system is primarily supported by private dollars, such as insurance premiums from employer-based coverage, said Gerald Kominski, director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and the study’s lead author. (Ibarra, 8/31)