Archive for January 2009
House stimulus package would give CT $474 million for Medicaid; COBRA subsidies for unemployed
Yesterday the US House passed an $819 billion stimulus package meant to reverse the declining economy. A great deal of the package is devoted to health, including $228.6 million in increased Medicaid funds to CT in 2009 and another $245.8 million in 2010. Those funds are from raising the federal Medicaid matching rate to states…
Read MoreThe character of our social networks may be genetic; why women have more trouble losing weight; inaugural luncheon weighs in at 3,048 calories
A new study finds that the structure and size of our network of friends may be genetic. Researchers found identical twins were more alike than fraternal twins in the size and interconnectedness of their social networks. The results may have important implications for the incidence of smoking and the spread of disease. The original article…
Read MoreHealth 1st Authority worsens individual mandate language
In their last meeting, the Health 1st Authority announced a change to their draft report in the individual mandate language attempting to accommodate some members who are holding out for the provision. The CT Health Policy Project has published research and analysis challenging the effectiveness of an individual mandate and outlining the impact on stressed…
Read MoreDodd hears from public, policymakers on national health reform
Friday 675 people attended a hearing held by Senator Chris Dodd in East Hartford to learn what CT residents need in President Obama’s health reform plan. Sen. Dodd has been tapped for a leadership role in development of the plan. The Senator heard about the struggle CT families face to hang onto their physical and…
Read MoreChina to spend $124 billion to boost health care system
Today’s Wall Street Journal reports that China, facing economic problems like the US, will invest $124 billion over the next three years to expand insurance coverage, overhaul public hospitals and expand access to care. The goal is to have 90% of China’s 1.3 billion citizens covered by 2011 and have basic health care services available…
Read MoreUniversal Health Care Foundation unveils comprehensive health reform plan
The Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut released its plan for health care reform on January 13, 2009 at a rally held at Union Station in Hartford. The room was packed with about 1,000 people from advocacy groups, labor unions, religious organizations and other groups. There were also quite a few legislators there, including President…
Read MoreHUSKY/PCCM update
Yesterday’s meeting of the Medicaid Managed Care Council was lively, but ended before addressing some important issues. The Commissioner acknowledged that they are still assessing the costs of the program under the current non-capitated arrangement. He stated that they know that the current system costs more than before Nov. 2007 when the capitated contracts ended;…
Read MoreNew administration plans to ease bankruptcy for medical debtors
According to the Wall Street Journal Health Blog, President- Elect Obama’s economic agenda includes an interesting bullet point — “Reform bankruptcy laws to protect families facing a medical crisis: Obama and Biden will create an exemption in bankruptcy law for individuals who can prove they filed for bankruptcy because of medical expenses. This exemption will…
Read MoreTechnical difficulties
The CT Health Policy Project has been experiencing technical difficulties with our website and with emails. The problems have been fixed, but it is possible that the last 48 hours of emails to us may be lost. If you sent something critical, please send it again. Thank you for your patience.
Read MoreUS health spending growth continues to slow
A new report by CMS finds that US health care spending grew only 6.1% in 2007, the slowest rate since 1998. However even that slower growth brought it up to 16.2% of the total economy, which grew 4.8% in 2007. Lower prescription drug spending and government administration were credited for the slowdown in spending; most…
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