The Commonwealth Fund Connection

The Commonwealth Fund Connection serves as a roundup of Fund publications, charts, and multimedia added to the Commonwealth Fund Web site in the last two weeks, and also offers links to other timely content.

May 21, 2012: Insurance Coverage, Medical Homes Are Keys to Reducing Health Disparities

May 7, 2012: How to Improve Chronic Disease Care and Reduce Health Spending

April 23, 2012: One-Quarter of Working-Age Adults Had a Gap in Health Coverage in 2011

April 9, 2012: Insurance Rebates, Reduced Premiums Expected from Affordable Care Act Rule

March 26, 2012: Almost All States Are Taking Action to Implement Health Law's Key Insurance Market Reforms

March 12, 2012: Coming Soon: Scorecard on Local Health System Performance

Local scorecard coming soon; recommendations for safety-net hospitals; and more.

February 21, 2012: Exchanges to Cover an Estimated 10 Million Small Business Workers

February 6, 2012: The Income Divide in Health Care: New Brief Kicks Off Series Tracking Effects of Health Reform

January 23, 2012: Lower Health Care Spending: Karen Davis on Whether We Are Entering a New Era in American Health Care

January 9, 2012: A Message from Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis on Health Reform's First Year

December 19, 2011: The Relationship Between Hospital Admission Rates and Rehospitalizations

The relationship between hospital admission rates and rehospitalizations; the aftermath of the super committee; final regulation on medical loss ratio reporting and rebates; and more.

December 5, 2011: The Innovation Center at One Year

The Innovation Center at one year; final rules for ACOs; eliminating central line–associated bloodstream infections; and more.

November 21, 2011: Workers' Share of Health Insurance Premiums Up 63% from 2003 to 2010

Workers' share of health insurance premiums up 63% from 2003 to 2010; an international perspective on "meaningful use"; and more.

November 7, 2011: Testimony: Impact of New Health Insurance Tax Credits

Impact of new health insurance tax credits; the new wave of health care innovation; disease management programs in Germany; and more.

October 24, 2011: New National Scorecard on Health System Performance

National scorecard on health system performance gives U.S. a 64 out of 100; accountable care organizations come into focus; and more.

October 7, 2011: Ensuring Equity for Vulnerable Populations

Ensuring equity for vulnerable populations; elderly minority patients concentrated in low-performing hospitals; turning community health centers into medical homes; and more.

September 26, 2011: New Study: U.S. Last Among Wealthy Nations in Preventable Deaths

U.S. last among wealthy nations in preventable deaths; Affordable Care Act helping young people; implementing medical homes in VA clinics; and more.

September 12, 2011: Long-Term Services Scorecard; Blog Post on Proposed Premium Tax Credit Rule

First-ever scorecard comparing state performance on long-term services and supports; nation's 'underinsured' grew 80 percent from 2003 to 2010; and more.

August 26, 2011: The Toll of Job Loss on Health Insurance Coverage

The toll of job loss on health insurance coverage; using shared-savings strategies to cut health care costs; using data on patients' race and ethnicity to improve care; and more.

August 15, 2011: Care Coordination for the Chronically Ill

Briefing on care coordination for the chronically ill; health care opinion leaders' views on vulnerable populations in the U.S. health system; and more.

July 29, 2011: U.S. Continues to Far Outspend Other Nations on Health Care

U.S. continues to far outspend other nations on health care; analysis of the state health insurance exchange regulations; and more.

July 15, 2011: Achieving Savings in Medicare and Medicaid

Achieving Medicare and Medicaid savings; study shows global payment lowers costs, improves quality; and more.

July 1, 2011: Senior Hunger and the Older Americans Act

Senior hunger and the Older Americans Act; Medicare's payment policy for hospital-acquired conditions; public reporting of hospital outcomes; and more.

June 17, 2011: Medicaid Managed Care Plans Owned by For-Profits Have Higher Costs, Lower Quality

For-profit medicaid managed care plans; early implementation of pre-existing condition insurance plans; and more.

June 3, 2011: How Health Reform Will Help Young Adults

How health reform will young adults; maintaining coverage when income and employment change; health care opinion leaders' views on health reform and the role of states; and more.

May 13, 2011: How Health Reform Will Help Women

How health reform will help women; getting what we want from Medicare physician payment; how the Affordable Care Act will strengthen primary care; and more.

April 29, 2011: Stark Choices: Karen Davis on the Health Care Budget Proposals

Karen Davis on the health care budget proposals; health reform will make insurance affordable for most families; and more.

April 15, 2011: New Survey: 72 Percent in U.S. Think Health System Needs Major Overhaul

Majority of Americans think health system needs major overhaul; achieving accountable care; reducing hospital readmissions; and more.

April 1, 2011: Understanding Accountable Care Organizations: Resources from The Commonwealth Fund

Understanding accountable care organizations; protecting Americans with disabilities; aviation safety practices in that could be applied to health care; and more.

March 18, 2011: New Survey--9 Million U.S. Adults Who Lost a Job with Health Benefits Became Uninsured

New case studies on creating an organizational culture of safety in health care organizations; advancing foundations' accountability and performance; and more.

March 4, 2011: Affordable Care Act Sets Nation on Right Course for Health Reform, Experts Say

Health care opinion leaders support the Affordable Care Act; study look at success factors in health plans; and more.

February 18, 2011: Student Health Plan Enrollees to Gain New Protections Under Affordable Care Act

A blog post on new regulations that will enable student health plan enrollees to gain consumer protections; a white paper recent efforts to reform payments for health care providers; and more.

February 4, 2011: New State Scorecard on Children's Health Care Finds Wide Geographic Disparities

The new Commonwealth Fund state scorecard on children's health care; an analysis of a new health insurance disclosure form; and more.

January 21, 2011: Testimony--The CO-OP Program Under the Affordable Care Act

Commonwealth Fund vice president Sara Collin's testimony on the health care cooperatives; a study on an alternative to fee-for-service payment; and more.

January 7, 2011: How Will the Affordable Care Act Bolster Primary Care?

A new issue brief and blog post on how the Affordable Care Act will begin to strengthen America's primary care system; a new report that examines provisions that support states' health system improvement goals and profiles efforts in 10 states; and more.

December 17, 2010: More Than 18 Million Baby Boomers to Benefit from Health Reform Law

New brief on the Affordable Care Act explains the benefits Baby Boomers will see due to Health Care Reform; a blob post on how primary care innovations can help improve the performance of the health system; and more.

December 3, 2010: New State-by-State Report: Insurance Premiums Rose Faster Than Wages

New report presents a state-by-state analysis of private employer health insurance costs, includes an interactive map showing a state-by-state view of health insurance premium increases; a video from the International HEalth Policy Symposium; and more.

November 19, 2010: 11-Country Survey: U.S. Adults Most Likely to Forgo Care Due to Cost, Have Trouble Paying Medical Bills

An international survey of health care in 11 countries; David Blumenthal and others speak about the rate of adoption of HIT and "meaningful use" standards in an e-fourum; and more.

November 5, 2010: Health Care Opinion Leaders' Views on Transparency and Pricing

Results from the latest Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey; two new briefs explore ways to pay for medical home services; two new blog posts on transparency and pricing in health care; and more.

October 22, 2010: Accountable Care Organizations: Measurement Will Be Key to Their Success

A commentary on how performance measurement and evaluation can help ACOs achieve success; a case study on a medical center that has created an integrated system of care primarily for low-income patients; and more.

October 8, 2010: Setting Up Health Insurance Exchanges: How to Overcome Eight Difficult Issues

A new report on the design and implementation of health insurance exchanges; a blog on standardizing the approach to measuring rehospitalizations; a video from the June 2010 AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting; and more.

September 24, 2010: Beyond Coverage: How Health Reform Will Transform the Health System

September 10, 2010: 16.6 Million Small Business Employees Could Benefit from Affordable Care Act

August 20, 2010: Updated Timeline: Health Insurance Provisions of the Affordable Care Act

August 6, 2010: Thirty Million Women to Benefit from Health Reform Law

July 23, 2010: Pursuing the 'Triple Aim'—New Case Studies from The Commonwealth Fund

July 9, 2010: How Will the Health Care System Change Under Health Reform?

June 25, 2010: U.S. Ranks Last Among Seven Countries on Health System Performance Measures

June 11, 2010: Rapid Reform of Health Care Payment System Needed

May 28, 2010: Health Reform Law Could Extend Coverage to 13.7 Million Uninsured Young Adults

May 13, 2010: What Will Happen Under Health Reform--And What's Next?

April 30, 2010: Safe, Reliable Health Care Systems--Will Health Reform Legislation Help Get Us There?

April 16, 2010: Health Care Opinion Leaders' Views on Health Reform

April 2, 2010: A New Era in American Health Care

March 19, 2010: Study: Health Reform Would Strengthen Medicare

March 5, 2010: How Health Reform Would Make Coverage Affordable for Every American

February 19, 2010: New Video from the 2009 International Symposium on Health Care Policy

February 5, 2010: New Report on National Health Expenditures Underscores Need for Comprehensive Health Care Reform

January 22, 2010: Coming Out of Crisis: Patient Experiences in Primary Care in New Orleans, Four Years Post-Katrina

January 8, 2010: Impact of Health Reform Bills on Coverage, Affordability, and Costs

December 18, 2009: Health Coverage of Young Adults and Their Views on Health Reform

December 4, 2009: Making Health Reform Work for Families and Businesses

November 20, 2009: A Preview of Health Reform Bills Analysis

November 6, 2009: International Survey Shows U.S. Lags in Access, Quality, Use of Health IT

October 23, 2009: Analysis of Health Reform Bills Highlights Similarities, Differences, Impacts, and Costs

October 9, 2009: New State Health Care Scorecard Finds Sharp Differences Across U.S.

September 25, 2009: Making Health Reform History

September 14, 2009: Out of Options: How Health Reform Will Help Small Businessess and Employees

August 21, 2009: How Health Insurance Premiums Are Eating Up Middle-Class Incomes--and How National Reform Can Help

August 7, 2009: Health Reform Proposals Have Potential to Help More Than 13 Million Uninsured Young Adults Gain Coverage

July 24, 2009: Individual Insurance Market Failing American Families

July 10, 2009: A Call for Health System Goals

June 19, 2009: Purchasing High Performance

June 5, 2009: Health Reform Resources on Commonwealthfund.org—Policy Analysis and Research at a Glance

May 22, 2009: Webinar Today: How Physicians Can Help Achieve Health Reform

May 8, 2009: Extra Payments to Medicare Advantage Plans Jump to $11.4 Billion

April 24, 2009: Insurance Coverage for All Could Reduce Disparities

April 10, 2009: A Call to Reduce Hospital Readmissions

March 27, 2009: Health Care Payment Reform That Rewards Value, Not Volume

March 16, 2009: Congressional Testimony on Health Reform