Posts by Ellen Andrews
China to spend $124 billion to boost health care system
Today’s Wall Street Journal reports that China, facing economic problems like the US, will invest $124 billion over the next three years to expand insurance coverage, overhaul public hospitals and expand access to care. The goal is to have 90% of China’s 1.3 billion citizens covered by 2011 and have basic health care services available…
Read MoreUniversal Health Care Foundation unveils comprehensive health reform plan
The Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut released its plan for health care reform on January 13, 2009 at a rally held at Union Station in Hartford. The room was packed with about 1,000 people from advocacy groups, labor unions, religious organizations and other groups. There were also quite a few legislators there, including President…
Read MoreHUSKY/PCCM update
Yesterday’s meeting of the Medicaid Managed Care Council was lively, but ended before addressing some important issues. The Commissioner acknowledged that they are still assessing the costs of the program under the current non-capitated arrangement. He stated that they know that the current system costs more than before Nov. 2007 when the capitated contracts ended;…
Read MoreNew administration plans to ease bankruptcy for medical debtors
According to the Wall Street Journal Health Blog, President- Elect Obama’s economic agenda includes an interesting bullet point — “Reform bankruptcy laws to protect families facing a medical crisis: Obama and Biden will create an exemption in bankruptcy law for individuals who can prove they filed for bankruptcy because of medical expenses. This exemption will…
Read MoreTechnical difficulties
The CT Health Policy Project has been experiencing technical difficulties with our website and with emails. The problems have been fixed, but it is possible that the last 48 hours of emails to us may be lost. If you sent something critical, please send it again. Thank you for your patience.
Read MoreUS health spending growth continues to slow
A new report by CMS finds that US health care spending grew only 6.1% in 2007, the slowest rate since 1998. However even that slower growth brought it up to 16.2% of the total economy, which grew 4.8% in 2007. Lower prescription drug spending and government administration were credited for the slowdown in spending; most…
Read MoreWhy an individual mandate won’t work in CT
A new paper by the CT Health Policy Project outlines why an individual mandate, a law requiring every state resident to purchase health coverage won’t work. (For the shorter issue brief, click here.) Mandates are no guarantee of compliance; CT requires drivers to have auto insurance but 12% of drivers are uninsured. Unreimbursed care for…
Read MoreHappy New Year and You Won’t Believe This
Last week, the FDA approved the drug Latisse for “hypotrichosis of the eyelashes” according to the Wall Street Journal Health Blog. What’s that? It’s “another name for having inadequate or not enough eyelashes.” Honest. The company that makes Latisse also makes another critical health care treatment, Botox.Happy New Year everyone from the CT Health Policy…
Read MoreCMS approves forcing HUSKY families into HMOs
In a reversal of their position in a Dec. 5th letter, CMS is now allowing DSS to force 138,000 HUSKY members, 40% of the total HUSKY membership, to join capitated HMOs that advocates maintain do not have enough providers to provide care. The decision also disregards a letter from CT’s Congressional delegation urging CMS to…
Read MoreHUSKY (waiting for news) and PCCM (more bad news) update
DSS has now changed the date of PCCM’s start from next Thursday to February 1st even in the two small areas they approved, Waterbury and Willimantic. DSS’ plan, approved without revision by the Appropriations and Human Services Committees this summer, called for statewide implementation January 1st. In another sudden change of policy, further limiting the…
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