Archive for March 2012
April CT Health Reform Dashboard — 10.8% progress to date
This month again CT is making progress toward health reform. This month we are 10.8% of the way toward health reform. Unfortunately we are only up from 10.7% last month. At this rate, it will take 48 years to fully implement reform. Track CT’s progress on the CT Health Reform Dashboard at www.cthealthreform.org
Read MoreExchange advisory committees begin work
Last week the four CT Health Insurance Exchange advisory committees held their first meeting jointly. The meeting included a very good presentation on the basics of the exchange and a list of the decision points for each committee. The next advisory committee meetings, all public and all tentatively in Room 310 of the Capitol, will…
Read MoreExperience to inform health insurance exchange outreach
CT has a long and varied history of outreach programs; some worked very well and some were less successful. There is a great deal of experience available to the CT Health Insurance Exchange and their consultants to design a robust program that meets the needs of individuals and small businesses likely to enroll. As individuals…
Read MoreHIT privacy bill heard in Public Health Committee
An important bill, SB 368, had a public hearing Friday in the Public Health Committee. The bill would require HITE CT, our state’s developing health information exchange, to get patient consent before sharing any medical records on the exchange. Termed opt-in, this privacy policy has been adopted by all our surrounding states and is working…
Read MoreInsurance Exchange meeting allows limited public comment
Partially responding to widespread calls to respect consumer voices, the CT Health Insurance Exchange Board allowed 12 minutes of public comment at the beginning of today’s meeting. Speakers were limited to two minutes each – there was only time for five. They heard from a struggling consumer, a small business owner, advocates and a representative…
Read MoreDual eligible payment reform update
Advocates have raised concerns about DSS’ plans to re-engineer CT’s Medicaid pilot program for dual eligibles, people eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. Last year HHS granted CT $1 million to plan this initiative. DSS intends to assign consumers to “health neighborhoods” – contractual networks of providers to cover the care continuum that will coordinate…
Read MoreCT gets a C for health reform
In a new survey, Connecticut health care thought leaders give our state a C on health reform. The state received no A’s. Connecticut received a slightly better grade, C+, for effort. Connecticut’s Medicaid efforts are a bright spot, earning a B. The worst grade was for Engaging Consumers in Policymaking, averaging a D rating. A…
Read MoreDSS medication clients’ information released in error
In supporting information regarding a bill, DSS sent OPM information on up to 8,500 clients who receive medications from DSS. The information, with client numbers but no names or Social Security numbers, was then sent to legislators, legislative staff, and organizations involved in administering medications to DSS clients. The client numbers should not have been…
Read MoreCT Health Reform Dashboard — 10.7% progress to date
The good news is that CT is making progress. This month we are 10.7% of the way toward health reform. The bad news is that we are up from 10.4% last month. Track CT’s progress on the CT Health Reform Dashboard at www.cthealthreform.org
Read MoreMarch web quiz – CT health risk factors
Test your knowledge of CT’s health risk factors. Take the March CT Health Policy Webquiz.
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