Posts by Ellen Andrews
Big improvement — almost three out of four CT physicians accepting new Medicaid patients
A new analysis by the Centers for Disease Control finds that 72.5% of CT office-based physicians accepted new Medicaid patients in 2013, better than the US average of 68.9%. This is a big improvement over a different survey in 2011 finding that only 60.7% of office-based physicians in CT were accepting new Medicaid patients –…
Read MoreApril web quiz on premiums in CT’s exchange
Test your knowledge of premiums in CT’s health insurance exchange. Take the April CT Health Policy Webquiz.
Read MoreA Better Idea for SIM-Medicaid: Coordinate Care for High-Need, High-Cost Patients
Independent consumer advocates and others have raised grave concerns about Connecticut’s State Innovation Model (SIM) plans to radically change financial incentives in our state’s Medicaid program. The experience of other states offers a proven alternative, targeting resources toward high-need, high-cost patients, that would protect the impressive success we’ve achieved in the last three years. This…
Read MoreCT health reform progress moving backward
CT’s progress toward health reform dropped from 29.0% to 27.4% this month mainly because of SIM setbacks and state budget cuts. Both implemented and new proposed cuts to Medicaid provider rates threaten significant progress over the last three years. Cuts to the promising health neighborhood project and a rush into risky shared savings models threaten…
Read MoreUnfortunate SCOTUS decision limits Medicaid provider rights
A decision yesterday by the US Supreme Court reversed a Ninth Circuit decision and ruled that providers do not have the legal right to sue a state Medicaid program under the federal Medicaid act. Armstrong v. Exceptional Child Center involved an Idaho clinic suing the state because rates were too low to ensure adequate access…
Read MoreCTNJ Op-Ed: Health Neighborhood cuts misguided
An Op-Ed in today’s CT News Junkie focuses on the Governor’s proposal to cut funding for innovative health neighborhood pilots to serve state residents eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. This program will improve the quality of care for Medicaid’s most costly aged and disabled members, providing significant savings to the state’s budget. The program…
Read MoreDeficit grows, Medicaid revenues below expectations – Let’s hope for good news from April tax receipts
Legislative and administrative deficit estimates for this year vary by $52.8 million, about 0.3% of the total General Fund. However that small difference may be enough to trigger another deficit mitigation plan of cuts by the Governor. However any plan for cuts wouldn’t come until May, and the legislative session ends June 3rd – it…
Read MoreGuest blog: It’s Not Patients’ Fault!
No, really, it’s not our fault. According to a study published last month by JAMA Oncol, it is a myth that escalating health costs are driven by patients “demanding” tests and treatments. It simply is not happening. Rather, it would appear that responsibility for factors ranging from poor communication, to “defensive medicine”, to deliberate overpricing…
Read MoreIntegrating behavioral health into primary care focus of next CEPAC meeting
The next CEPAC meeting will review the latest research on best practices to effectively integrate behavioral health into primary care practice. Up to 70% of physician visits include a behavioral health component. Patients with chronic conditions are more likely to experience mental illness as well and costs for these patients can be two to three…
Read MoreMedicaid MCOs not working in Missouri, inhibiting expansion, MO could learn from CT’s experience
Legislators are reluctant to expand Missouri’s Medicaid program because the managed care organization (MCO)-led program not as efficient as the traditional fee-for-service (FFS) program, according to a Kaiser Health News article. In a January presentation to the MO HealthNet Oversight Committee, agency representatives noted that while hospital admissions are lower in the population cared for…
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