Posts by Ellen Andrews
Unlike most of US, non-medical vaccine opt-outs for children rising in CT
New analysis by the CDC finds that while the percentage of families opting out of school-required vaccines for kindergartners for non-medical reasons is dropping nationally, Connecticut’s rate continues to rise. The percent of Connecticut kindergarteners without vaccines rose from 0.8% in 2009/2010 to 1.7% in 2015/2016. Connecticut is one of only eleven states with rising…
Read MoreHow Republican plans to replace the ACA could affect you
The Washington Post has published an online tool to predict how four Republican plans to replace Obamacare would affect you and your coverage. Input your age, income, pre-existing conditions, and coverage status hereand the tool uses expert analyses to predict the impact of the leading Republican proposals. While details on the new administration’s plans to…
Read MoreHelp Connecticut health policymaking with our trust issues – take a quick survey
For decades Connecticut has struggled with reforming our broken health care system. In several health policy circles, a lack of trust has been suggested as the main barrier to progress. We are seeking thoughts and ideas to build trust across Connecticut’s health care system. Please take a very short confidential surveyto contribute your ideas and…
Read MorePCMH + evaluation plans – weak review and too late to matter
Wednesday DSS unveiled their initial plans to evaluate PCMH +, the new experimental HUSKY shared savings program that just started January 1st with 160,000 members. HUSKY’s previous experience with financial risk was a universally acknowledged failure. Contrary to promises for a meaningful evaluation of the program before moving another 200,000 members into the program next…
Read MoreCabinet begins to tackle prescription costs
CT’s Health Care Cabinet began drilling down into rising prescription drug costs and state options to stem the rise. We heard from Ameet Sarpatwari, consultant to NASHP on their report for states, and Tom Brownlie of Pfizer and Jenny Bryant of PhRMA. Dr. Sarpatwari outlined high US spending on drugs and the consequences for consumers’…
Read MoreBusting Medicaid spending myths
Despite best efforts by legislators, advocates, and state officials, persistent myths remain about the success of Connecticut’s Medicaid program. It’s understandable – before the shift five years ago away from private insurers to care coordination, costs were out of control, but things are very different now. We’ve looked under the hood, drilled down into details,…
Read MoreHelp Connecticut health policymaking with our trust issues – take a quick survey
For decades Connecticut has struggled with reforming our broken health care system. In several health policy circles, a lack of trust has been suggested as the main barrier to progress. We are seeking thoughts and ideas to build trust across Connecticut’s health care system. Please take a very short confidential surveyto contribute your ideas and…
Read MoreCT ranks third among states in health this year, up from sixth from last year
This year’s America’s Health Rankings finds that overall Connecticut residents are healthier than all but two other states. We benefit from low smoking and infectious disease rates and high rates of childhood immunization. However we need to work on air pollution, excessive drinking, rising obesity rates, and our disparities based on educational level are embarrassing.…
Read MoreCT hospital Medicare hospital-acquired condition penalties much higher than US average for third year in a row
Next year fourteen of Connecticut’s 31 hospitals will be penalized by Medicare for poor rates of potentially avoidable complications, according to an analysis by Kaiser Health News. While this is down from eighteen this year, it is almost three times higher than the US average. Seven Connecticut hospitals have been penalized under this program every…
Read MoreDashboard update reflects deep uncertainty at state and federal levels
January’s CT Health Reform Dashboard update reflects CT’s changing health care landscape. Uncertainty is fueled by a significant state budget deficit and, at the federal level, the ACA repeal and radical plans to change Medicaid. The Health Care Cabinet’s attempts at reform are mercifully over. It’s unclear how much of the very contentious report will…
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