Archive for October 2011
Office of Health Care Advocate seeking attorney
The state Office of Health Care Advocate is hiring a staff attorney. OHA is an incredible resource for CT consumers struggling to access care from their insurer. OHA assists individuals, but also collects those experiences and makes recommendations for legislative and executive policy changes as needed. The position requires experience with health insurance or health…
Read MoreWebinar: State employee plan new health enhancement program
Join Kate McEvoy, Assistant Comptroller/Policy Director of the CT Office of State Comptroller, to hear about the goals for the new Health Enhancement Program and how it works for state employees. Kate’s webinar will be Wed. November 9th at 10:30am. To register, click here.
Read MoreSmall businesses know health insurance exchange is a jobs issue
In a CT News Junkie opinion piece, Kevin Galvin of Small Business for a Healthy CT, wrote — When asked to identify their biggest challenges, small business owners in Connecticut and across the country have said that one of the greatest is the prohibitively high cost of providing health insurance. CT cannot become a business-friendly…
Read MoreHealth Insurance Exchange CEO job description out
CT’s health insurance exchange is moving very quickly to hire a CEO. The job description includes good language about consumer education and policy background. It mentions management skills but does not mention familiarity with active purchasing on behalf of consumers. Applications are due by Nov. 9th. The Board will choose three finalists but the Governor…
Read MoreOHA Recovers $2.9 Million for Consumers in Third Quarter 2011
The state Office of Health Care Advocate has recovered for consumers $2.9 million in the third quarter of 2011 and $9.3 million thus far in calendar year 2011. The case load this year is expected to be double last year’s number. Through public outreach, their website and a toll-free assistance line, OHA helps patients who…
Read MoreAnthem piloting plan that shares savings with consumers
In a national pilot program that includes two self-insured employer groups in CT, Anthem is giving rebates to consumers who choose lower cost providers for their care. Rebates can reach up to $250 in CT (up to $1,000 elsewhere in the US) for each procedure. The company claims that only “common, elective medical procedures and…
Read MoreNew CT Insurer report card online
The CT Insurance Dept. has published the 2011 insurer report card. The report card compares HMO and indemnity plans’ performance across dozens of quality measures including prenatal care in the first trimester, adult access to care, cancer screenings, childhood immunizations and controlling high blood pressure. The report includes statistics on plan enrollment, number of participating…
Read MoreGrove health events
I co-work with amazing people doing exciting things at The Grove in New Haven. Among those amazing things are two upcoming events sponsored by the Transforming Maternity Care Partnership, a national multi-stakeholder collaboration working to implement a consensus Blueprint for Action to improve the quality and value of maternity care. The Nurse-Midwifery Week Celebration and…
Read MoreCourant OP-ED raises concerns about Medicaid PCMH proposal
An Opinion piece in today’s Hartford Courant by Sheldon Toubman of New Haven legal aid outlines many problems with DSS’ proposal for person-centered medical homes. PCMHs have been used by payers, including many other state Medicaid programs and CT’s state employee plan, to improve the effectiveness of health care, reduce duplications and errors and rein…
Read MoreOctober webquiz, webinar slides and video online
Test your knowledge of CT’s uninsured. Take the October CT Health Policy Webquiz. Slides and video of Friday’s webinar with CEPAC are posted.
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