Ellen Andrews - CT Health Policy

SustiNet and health insurance exchange bills heard

By Ellen Andrews | February 15, 2011 |

The Public Health, Human Services and Insurance Committees had a public hearing on the SustiNet bill and competing visions for CT’s health insurance exchange yesterday. Public support was overwhelming for SustiNet; most legislators were supportive. Some asked for concrete assurances of how much the plan will reduce costs and improve access to care. But as…

Webinar: CT health information exchange up and running

By Ellen Andrews | February 13, 2011 |

Join us for a webinar with Scott Cleary of eHealthCT, Feb. 22nd at 1pm to hear about CT’s successful Medicaid health information exchange. Funded under a Medicaid transformation grant, the exchange is up and running, sharing treatment information securely with consumer-friendly privacy protections, to improve patient safety and reduce duplication. To register for the webinar,…

Desig Thinking Conference – Designing for Health

By Ellen Andrews | February 10, 2011 |

This year’s Donaghue Foundation conference will explore how design thinking is being used to reduce fragmentation in today’s health care system. The conference will be Friday, May 6th from 7:30am to 12:30 pm in Farmington.

State moving to ASO and PCCM for all Medicaid consumers

By Ellen Andrews | February 8, 2011 |

At a press conference today, Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman and OPM Secretary Ben Barnes announced that CT’s Medicaid program will move to a self-insured administrative services organization (ASO) model effective Jan. 1, 2012. An RFP is expected to be released next month. The state will also expand the current PCCM/patient-centered medical home program statewide as…

Health in the News – long term care insurance, mandates, and Medicaid inpatient admissions up

By Ellen Andrews | February 8, 2011 |

Interest in the CLASS Act, part of national health reform, has focused attention on long term care insurance. All sides agree that something needs to be done, but is federally sponsored insurance sustainable? Issues around mandated insurance benefits are heating up again. Federal standards for the essential benefits package are being developed that may or…

Legislators looking at UConn contract for prisoners’ care for savings

By Ellen Andrews | February 7, 2011 |

An AP article in the New Haven Register reports that policymakers are looking to review and possibly open UConn’s $94 to $100 million health care contract with the Department of Corrections. UConn provides medical, dental and mental health care to 19,000 state inmates at an average of $4,780 each last year. At least one other…

Consumers getting too many heart tests

By Ellen Andrews | February 4, 2011 |

A new survey by Consumers Union finds that most 40 to 60 year olds with no symptoms or risk factors who see a doctor are routinely getting unnecessary heart tests including EKGs (50%), exercise stress tests (21%), and ultrasounds of the carotid arteries (7%). Few respondents were aware of the risks and complications that can…

Aetna begins tiered benefit offerings in CT

By Ellen Andrews | February 3, 2011 |

In a move to reduce costs, Aetna is now charging members in some plans based on the costs of the hospitals they choose, according to the CT Mirror. For example, in the program women who choose to give birth at Midstate Hospital will pay almost 35% of their bill in coinsurance; those who deliver at…

February webquiz – insurance offerings in CT

By Ellen Andrews | February 2, 2011 |

Test your knowledge of health insurance offerings by CT employers. Take the February CT Health Policy Webquiz.

Families USA conference

By Ellen Andrews | February 1, 2011 |

Nancy Pelosi, President Obama, dear friends and lots of great information on ACA implementation – and what CT needs to do. Last week’s Families USA conference was inspiring and exhausting. Now back to work. Ellen Andrews