Posts by Ellen Andrews
Obesity and overweight in Connecticut forum
May 14th the CT Public Health Institute will release their study of the problem of overweight and obesity in CT including background, costs and consequences, and possible interventions. The forum was originally scheduled for May 5th. The study was funded by the Universal Health Care Foundation of CT. The forum will be at the Wilde…
Read MoreeHealth consumer privacy forum begins an important discussion
The Connecticut Health Policy Project and AARP- CT hosted a forum yesterday on electronic medical records at the State Capitol in Hartford – eHealth: Why Consumers Should Care. The purpose of the forum was to provide information about electronic medical records and to get input from advocates and consumers on privacy and security issues. The…
Read MoreMedicaid Managed Care Council update
At today’s meeting, ACS reported that there are 337,533 CT residents covered by HUSKY Part A as of April 1st, up more than 6,000 from March. HUSKY Part B now covers 15,063, moving back toward its pre-July 08 levels. There are also 7,068 people covered by the Charter Oak Plan, however 3,319 Charter Oak applications…
Read MoreWhat is public health?
The US is the most powerful country in the world, right? So why aren’t we the healthiest? Last week was Public Health Week. (I didn’t miss it, I was just busy celebrating.) Click here for a great video explanation of what public health is, and how we can become the healthiest nation in one generation.…
Read More2009 CT Health Disparities report
The Department of Public Health in cooperation with the CT Health Foundation recently released their 2009 Connecticut Health Disparities Report. The report defines health disparities as “avoidable differences in health that result from cumulative social disadvantage.” Connecticut is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse; from 2000-2007, there were significant increases in the populations of Asians,…
Read MoreForum for consumers and advocates: eHealth Privacy and Security
The CT Health Policy Project and AARP-CT are hosting a forum on electronic medical records and how to ensure patient’s privacy and security are protected. Electronic medical records and sharing them is an important part of improving the quality of care, reducing costs, and reforming our health care system. Planning is beginning at the state…
Read MoreForum on overweight and obesity
May 5th the Universal Health Care Foundation of CT and the CT Public Health Policy Institute will hold a forum to present a new analysis of the overweight and obesity problem in CT, including background, costs and consequences, and possible future interventions. The forum will be in May at the University of Hartford. For more…
Read MoreHear a brain scientist describe her stroke
Jill Bolte Taylor, a Harvard-trained brain scientist, wrote a book describing her experience of surviving a stroke. For a very entertaining video of the author relating the morning she woke up to find that a blood vessel had burst in her brain click here and scroll down. She describes, with great humor, how she processed…
Read MoreHalf of foreclosures due to sickness and medical bills
In a legislative meeting Friday I heard an amazing statistic from a realtor – that half of foreclosures are due to medical bills. This doesn’t surprise me, many of our clients have health problems that threaten their ability to pay the mortgage. Previous studies have found that half of bankruptcies are due to high medical…
Read MoreApprops budget health impact analysis
Our summary of health coverage related items in the Appropriations budget is posted. The legislature restored the large majority of Governor Rell’s proposed cuts including rejecting premiums and copays for Medicaid, cuts in services to SAGA, restored coverage for immigrants and medical interpretation.
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