This series of Commonwealth Fund issue briefs examines the way the Affordable Care Act of 2010 benefits different populations and groups, as well as improves insurance coverage and the delivery of care.

Published briefs include:

State Trends in Premiums and Deductibles, 2003–2011: Eroding Protection and Rising Costs Underscore Need for Action, C. Schoen, J. Lippa, S. Collins, and D. Radley, The Commonwealth Fund, December 2012.

Oceans Apart: The Higher Health Costs of Women in the U.S. Compared to Other Nations, and How Reform Is Helping,  R. Robertson, D. Squires, T. Garber, S. R. Collins, and M. M. Doty, The Commonwealth Fund, July 2012.

State Trends in Premiums and Deductibles, 2003–2010: The Need for Action to Address Rising Costs, FInds that premiums for employer-sponsored family health insurance policies increased by 50 percent from 2003 to 2010, and the annual amount that employees pay toward their insurance increased by 63 percent, as businesses required employees to contribute a greater share.

When Unemployed Means Uninsured: The Toll of Job Loss on Health Coverage, and How the Affordable Care Act Will Help. Looks at the impact of the loss of employer-sponsored coverage on people's abilty to receive and pay for needed health care, finding that reestablishing the COBRA premium subsidies that helped millions of people who lost their jobs from 2008 through 2010 would help protect unemployed workers from catastrophic health care costs.

Early Implementation of Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plans: Providing an Interim Safety Net for the Uninsurable. Examines enrollment trends in the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) program, as well as early changes to plan structures and premiums, and estimates of out-of-pocket costs by utilization pattern and type of plan.

How the Affordable Care Act Is Helping Young Adults Stay Covered. Finds 45 percent of young adults reported delaying needed care because of costs in 2010, up from 32 percent in 2001, and 39 percent reported problems paying medical bills, demonstrating the need for Affordable Care Act provisions, some already in place, that will expand health insurance and make it more affordable.

Maintaining Coverage, Affordability, and Shared Responsibility When Income and Employment Change. Presents policy options to make it simpler for people to sign up for, pay for, and keep their coverage despite changes in circumstances.

Women at Risk: Why Increasing Numbers of Women Are Failing to Get the Health Care They Need and How the Affordable Care Act Will Help. Finds the new health reform law will expand health insurance coverage to nearly all uninsured women and will make health care more affordable for millions of women.

Will The Affordable Care Act Make Health Insurance Affordable? Explores whether the subsidies available through the Affordable Care Act are enough to make health insurance affordable for low-income families.

The Essential Health Benefits Provisions of the Affordable Care Act: Implications for People with Disabilities.  Explains how the health reform law will not only enable people with disabilities to secure access to more-affordable coverage, it also will help ensure that the coverage they purchase is appropriate to their health care needs—and won't leave them at risk for sky-high out-of-pocket costs.

How the Affordable Care Act Will Strengthen Primary Care and Benefit Patients, Providers, and Payers. Describes how the Affordable Care Act will begin to address the neglect of America's primary care system and, wherever possible, estimates the potential impact these efforts will have on patients, providers, and payers.

Adult Ages 50-64 and the Affordable Care Act of 2010. Examines the provisions in the Affordable Care Act intended to expand access to affordable health insurance for adults ages 50 to 64. 18.3 million men and women ages 50 to 64 stand to benefit from the provisions included in the ACA.

State Trends in Premiums and Deductibles, 2003–2009: How Building on the Affordable Care Act Will Help Stem the Tide of Rising Costs and Eroding Benefits. Analyzes private employer health insurance costs in states for the six years before the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed, and projects premiums in 2020 if these increases continue.

Young Adults and the Affordable Care Act of 2010. Analyzes several short- and long-term provisions that promise to stem the rapidly rising tide of uninsured young adults, one of the largest uninsured segments of the population.

Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plans Created by the Affordable Care Act of 2010. Examines eligibility, benefits, premiums, cost-sharing, and oversight of the state PCIP programs, as well as variation in the plans from state to state.

Small Businesses and the Affordable Care Act of 2010. Highlights several short- and long-term provisions designed to help small businesses pay for and maintain health insurance for their workers, and to allow workers without employer coverage to gain access to affordable, comprehensive health insurance.

Women and the Affordable Care Act of 2010. Analyzes how, over the next decade, the ACA is likely to stabilize and reverse women's growing exposure to health care costs. Up to 15 million women who now are uninsured could gain subsidized coverage under the law. In addition, 14.5 million insured women will benefit from provisions that improve coverage or reduce premiums.