Archive for April 2020
Share your ideas to support Connecticut health care coordination, access, and quality
The state is rushing to implement an expensive Health Information Exchange to access $48 million before a federal deadline. The state Office of Health Strategy (OHS) is moving forward very quickly despite concerns raised by consumers and providers about selling access to identifiable patient records to insurers and ACOs, privacy rights, the capacity of the…
Read MoreCT 7th best at social distancing, Fairfield leads CT counties
Last week, Connecticut residents did better than most Americans in maintaining social distance according to a University of Maryland model. (We slipped a bit on Saturday – to 18th among states.) The aggregate score uses the percent of us who stay home and reductions in trips per person. 35% of Connecticut residents stayed home last…
Read MoreUnder cover of the pandemic, OHS rushes controversial medical record exchange implementation
While most healthcare stakeholders and most of state government is focusing unprecedented efforts on protecting Connecticut from COVID-19, the Office of Health Strategy (OHS) continues its rush to implement a controversial plan to build their own Health Information Exchange (HIE). The rush is happening over objections from many stakeholder groups that they will need to…
Read MoreSome bizarre COVID-19 myths busted
There are persistent but false rumors that 5G mobile networks can spread the COVID-19 virus, that being able to hold your breath for 10 seconds means you don’t have it, and that hot baths will keep you from getting it. None of these are true. The World Health Organization has a new resource debunking some…
Read MoreCT hospital and worker capacity lower than rest of US
As Connecticut and the rest of the nation faces the COVID-19 pandemic, hospital workers are on the front line. New analysis from the Bureau of Labor Statistics finds that Connecticut was behind most states in hospital capacity before the pandemic began. Last year, Connecticut ranked 11th among states in population per hospital at 31,274 Connecticut…
Read MoreCTNJ: Forecast Estimates More Than 100,000 New CT Medicaid Members
According to modeling by Health Management Associates, the COVID-19 pandemic could raise Connecticut’s Medicaid rolls 15% to 32% by mid-2020, depending on how much unemployment grows. Connecticut residents with employer-sponsored coverage could drop by 130,000 to 382,000 and Access Health CT coverage could grow by 8,000 to 33,000. Uninsured could rise by 77,000. Read more
Read MoreCTNJ: Analysis — Will COVID-19 Make Health Insurance Premiums Skyrocket?
Not necessarily. COVID-19 could cost the US between $34 billion and $251 billion for testing, treatment and care. Some analysts have predicted that premiums will rise between 4% and 40% next year because of the pandemic. Because consumers, taxpayers and workers ultimately pay the bills, from our taxes, our lost wages, our premiums, and directly…
Read MoreLetter urges state to go farther to protect Connecticut’s health and affordability
Building on previous letters from legal services, the CT Health Policy Project sent a letter today thanking the state for important protections adopted to protect Connecticut’s health during the pandemic. We also urged the state to adopt new policies and expand some already adopted. Require insurers to automatically continue providing commercial insurance during the crisis…
Read MoreWords matter – Unintended consequences of rush for COVID-19 treatment and poor communication
Scientists are under great pressure, internal and external, to find successful treatments for people seriously ill with the new coronavirus. Scientists are heroes, working with exceptional “vigor and speed” to find options. Unfortunately, sometimes that pressure results in early results being misunderstood and misused. Research conducted during a pandemic is not optimal for rigorous science…
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