January, 2015 - CT Health Policy

Medicaid coverage for children linked to higher tax receipts by age 28

By Ellen Andrews | January 13, 2015 |

A new studyfinds that in addition to improved health and lower mortality, children who were covered by past Medicaid expansions paid more taxes by age 28. The longer they were eligible for Medicaid, the higher the tax receipts. They also had lower Earned Income Tax payments and were more likely to attend college. Interestingly, the…

New to the Book Club: The Health Care Handbook, 2nd edition

By Ellen Andrews | January 12, 2015 |

The Health Care Handbook is the newest addition to the CT Health Notes Book Club. The new edition of this incredibly helpful primer on the US health system is even better than the 2012 version. Written by two med students who searched for a balanced, useful, and readable source of information for students like themselves…

SIM & CAB update

By Ellen Andrews | January 8, 2015 |

Today’s SIM steering committee meeting has been cancelled. (BTW- the Medicaid Council meeting scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed to next Friday, the 16th.) Tuesday’s SIM Consumer Advisory Board (CAB) meeting was frustrating. They were supposed to vote on an ethics resolution proposed last month, but delayed a vote yet again. (They sent it to…

Surgical errors in CT hospitals climbed in 2013

By Ellen Andrews | January 7, 2015 |

A new analysis by C-HIT found that adverse events (serious medical errors) in CT hospitals were up significantly in 2013, more than double the year before. The greatest increases were for foreign objects left in bodies and perforations during surgery. Deaths, serious falls, serious medication errors, and surgeries on the wrong body part all increased…

January CT Health Policy Webquiz: ACO performance in CT

By Ellen Andrews | January 6, 2015 |

Test your knowledge about the quality and efficiency performance of CT’s Medicare ACOs. Take the January CT Health Policy Webquiz.

Questionable Hartford flu numbers

By Ellen Andrews | January 5, 2015 |

A fascinating piece from CT by the Numbers digs into why conflicting reports find over 150,000 flu cases in Hartford for one week, in a city with 125,000 residents. Bottom line: Don’t believe everything you read in an ad.

CT health reform progress meter down again slightly to 29.5%

By Ellen Andrews | January 2, 2015 |

CT’s progress toward health reform is still stuck. The meter moved down again this month slightly to 29.5%. As usual, Medicaid accounted for most of the progress with comprehensive quality reporting, impressive long term services and supports, and transparent, collaborative payment reform planning. We love it when state agencies show all their work – even…