Archive for July 2013
SIM update
The SIM steering committee reviewed final recommendations from their work groups yesterday. The SIM project is developing payment and care delivery models for at least 80% of state residents – 3 million people or more and $30 billion in CT health spending. The recommendations are very detailed and specific, but they maintain that there…
Read MoreAccess Health CT rates up sharply, CID review and competition helped
Today’s CT Health Insurance Exchange/Access Health CT board meeting included a report from Wakely actuaries hired by the exchange to review rate proposals from health plans applying to offer coverage in the exchange. According to Wakely, plans have filed numerous revisions lowering their rate proposals, largely in response to each other and questions from the…
Read MoreConnectiCare withdraws SHOP exchange proposal
ConnectiCare has notified Access Health CT, our state’s health insurance exchange, that they are withdrawing their proposal to participate in the SHOP exchange. This leaves only three insurers in the small business portion of the exchange – Anthem, United and HealthyCT. ConnectiCare still intends to participate in Access Health CT’s individual exchange along with…
Read MoreAn ACA primer for CT
Arielle Levin Becker of the CT Mirror has drafted a sensible, brief FAQ on health reform, what is coming in January and what it means for people who don’t read Health Affairs for a living. She has done an expert job of distilling the confusion into an accessible resource. Thank you Arielle.
Read MoreHealthyCT lowers rates in insurance exchange
Healthy CT, the new co-op insurer created with federal support under the ACA, has revised their proposed premiums for the CT Health Insurance Exchange, Access Health CT. The new rates, much lower than their competitors, will average $271 per month for individuals and $408 for small businesses. Those individual rates will vary between $111…
Read MoreEntertaining new video explains Obamacare implementation
Medicaid Council update
Last Friday’s Medicaid Council meeting focused on ACA primary care rate increases for 2,277 CT providers including MDs practicing pediatrics, internal medicine, family medicine and some specialties and APRNs for preventive care services. Effective January 1stbut implemented July 1st, the ACA increased these rates to Medicare levels, with 100% federal funding through 2014. On…
Read MoreCT community health centers awarded $1.6 million for outreach and enrollment
ThirteenCT community health centers will share almost $1.6 million in federal grants to hire 28 workers across the state to help an estimated 23,167 uninsured state residents enroll in affordable health coverage. Awards varied from $68,284 to the CT Institute for Communities in Danbury to $ 238,366 to Community Health Center Inc. in Middletown.…
Read MoreState health care pooling plan growing slowly
The Comptroller’s Office announced this week that the CT Partnership Plan, allowing municipalities and other non-state governments to buy into the state employee plan, has 2,415 members from eight municipal entities at the end of a year saving between 1 and 36% on health benefits. While enrollment has lagged behind expectations, it is growing. Comptroller…
Read MoreGovernor vetoes bill allowing for-profits into medical foundations
Yesterday the Governor vetoed SB-992, a bill that would have allowed for-profit entities to join medical foundations to provide health services. The bill language was added to a different bill in the last hours of the legislative session. The bill resulted from lobbying by Waterbury Hospital and the for-profit Vanguard Health Systems from Tennessee…
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