(Hartford, CT) - The Commonwealth Fund published its 2025 Scorecard on State Health System Performance today. The report is part of the Commonwealth Fund’s ongoing series of reports tracking how each state’s health system is working. Using data from 2023 — the most recent available — the report measures health care access, affordability, quality, outcomes, and equity in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The report ranks Connecticut’s health system performance 11th overall nationally and 5th out of the six New England states. While Connecticut’s position in New England remains stable, the state’s national ranking has dropped from 6th in 2023.
“As a state, we’ve made progress in some performance indicator categories, including prevention and treatment and healthy living. We see improvement in medical debt, preventative medical and dental care for kids, and smoking cessation,” said Deidre Gifford, MD, MPH, Commissioner of the Office of Health Strategy (OHS). “However, the Scorecard also highlights the growing disparities we face as a state and underscores the critical need for a continued focus on how we deliver and pay for healthcare for all of our residents.”
“Connecticut’s very low ranking on the Avoidable Hospital Use and Cost category is particularly concerning. This measures includes indicators of hospital and emergency department use that might be reduced with timely and effective care, as well as the share of spending directed toward primary care. CT’s relatively poor performance is further evidence of the need to re-focus payers and providers on shoring up the state’s fragile primary care system. The impact of racial and economic disparities on the health of Connecticut residents has become even more pronounced in recent years,” said Gifford.
“What happens at the national level, including proposed Medicaid funding and the potential expiration of federal tax credits that help subsidize participation in the health insurance exchange, has the potential to erase the gains we’ve made and further isolate communities already at high-risk in our state. Now, more than ever, we must focus on policy that reduces the burden on the consumer and supports healthcare providers in delivering the most needed services in each community.”