The Connection

A roundup of recent Fund publications, charts, multimedia, and other timely content.

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January 6, 2025

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Coverage for Small-Business Workers Offers Less Cost Protection

Workers at small businesses make higher premium contributions for health plans that provide them with less financial protection, compared to workers at larger companies, a Commonwealth Fund report finds. In 2023, small-business employees paid an average of $7,529 annually for their share of family premiums — $733 more than employees at larger firms. In certain states, small-firm employees paid nearly double what those at large firms paid for family plans. The authors also discuss policy options for alleviating financial burdens for small-business employees and ensuring access to health coverage.

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The Promise of Wearable Devices for Chronic Disease Care

Chronic illnesses are among the most common causes of death and illness globally as well as key drivers of high health care costs. Remote patient monitoring can help better control these conditions, writes former Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellow Laure Millet on To the Point. Apps and wearable devices are able to track patient health metrics and reduce preventable complications, but they’re not yet in wide use in the United States. Millet says that U.S. health care providers would benefit from studying the successful implementation of remote patient monitoring in countries like England, France, and Germany.

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FEATURED CHART

Coverage Doesn’t Guarantee Affordable Care for Latinos

The uninsured rate for Hispanic/Latino adults in the U.S. has fallen from 33 percent to 18 percent since the Affordable Care Act became law, with 9 million more gaining health insurance coverage. Still, as Commonwealth Fund President Joseph R. Betancourt, M.D., notes on To the Point, 55 percent either don’t have any coverage or have insurance that comes with out-of-pocket costs so high that people can’t always afford needed care. He says policy changes like extending ACA marketplace premium tax credits and lowering plan deductibles could ensure that all Americans can get the care they need.

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QUIZ

What proportion of physicians in rural areas are over age 50?

- 15%
- 25%
- 35%
- >50%

Scroll down to see if you got it right.

International Insights: Two Years, Three Lessons

Just over two years ago, the Commonwealth Fund began searching the globe for solutions to deep-seated health disparities in the U.S. for our International Insights series. Our research has shown how Finland fosters housing security to bolster health outcomes, how Chile created a national plan for reducing depression, and much more. As the U.S. enters a new health policy era under a new president and Congress, we reflect on some of the key lessons learned from our peers around the world.

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Dr. Joseph Betancourt Recognized by Modern Healthcare

The Commonwealth Fund congratulates its president, Joseph R. Betancourt, M.D., for being named to Modern Healthcare’s annual 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare list for 2024 ([link removed] ) . As a practicing primary care physician and former health system leader, Dr. Betancourt has spent his career in pursuit of equitable, high-quality health care for everyone. We’re gratified to see him recognized for his work to create a U.S. health system in which everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, or income, can get the care they need. Please join us in congratulating him on LinkedIn ([link removed] ) or BlueSky ([link removed] ) .

Pozen-Commonwealth Fund Fellowship Application Open

The application for the Pozen-Commonwealth Fund Fellowship ([link removed] ) in Health Equity Leadership at Yale University is now open. This 22-month, degree-granting program covers the cost of the MBA for Executives ([link removed] ) program and gives health care professionals the leadership skills and the deep understanding of teams, markets, and organizations necessary to tackle major inequities in the U.S. health system. The application deadline for round 2 is January 27, 2027. Reach out to the team at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or request a preassessment ([link removed] ) to see if you’re a fit for the program, and watch this video to learn about the “The Business of Health Equity ([link removed] ) .”

How States Are Responding to the Opioid Crisis

In partnership with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Shatterproof, a national nonprofit organization focused on addiction, KFF Health News has created a database to track how states are spending their opioid settlement funds ([link removed] ) . It finds that, on average, states devoted 18 percent of their settlement dollars to addiction and mental health treatment, 14 percent to recovery services, 11 percent to harm reduction efforts, and 9 percent to prevention programs. Read our Transforming Care feature to learn about the range of strategies states have used to develop comprehensive responses to the opioid crisis ([link removed] ) .

QUIZ: Answer

The answer is D. More than half of rural physicians are over age 50, compared to 39 percent of physicians in urban areas.

With America’s population aging, rising demand for health care is colliding with a shrinking supply of clinicians, especially in rural areas of the country. But as Sarah Klein and Patricia Richardson Schoenbrun report in Transforming Care, state and local leaders in some regions are finding innovative ways to attract doctors to rural communities ([link removed] ) — and entice them to stay. Read the story, produced with the Bassett Research Institute, to learn how rural practice might be able to restore some of what’s been lost in modern medicine.

Affordable, quality health care. For everyone.

The Commonwealth Fund, 1 East 75th Street, New York, NY 10021

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