Posts by Ellen Andrews
Guroo.com – new health care price shopping tool
A cool new tool, Guroo — from the Health Care Cost Institute, allows price comparisons for a wide array of treatment bundles across the US. For example, average prices for a colonoscopy for preventive screening across the US, in CT and New Haven are $2,288, $2,851 and $2,730 respectively. However that New Haven consumer can…
Read MoreCT health reform progress still stalled
CT’s progress toward health reform remains stalled yet again this month. The March meter moved down from last month slightly to 29.0%. Medicaid quality measures and public input were highlights. But placing Medicaid’s successes and reform planning in jeopardy, and SIM ethics challenges dragged progress down. The CT health reform progress meter is part of…
Read MoreCTHPP testimony opposing Governor’s budget cuts to Medicaid
Testimony to the Appropriations Committee at Friday’s hearing from the CT Health Policy Project focused on the Governor’s cuts to Medicaid. Topping the list of concerns is the proposal to cut coverage for 34,000 working parents and pregnant women. The last time CT cut HUSKY parents in 2003, the impact was devastating to many CT…
Read MoreCSG ERC is on Facebook
CT’s regional, multi-branch state policymaker support organization, CSG/ERC, is now on Facebook. The Council of State Government’s Eastern Region provides state policymakers with the latest information on critical policy topics, skill building, leadership training, and opportunities to exchange ideas and best practices with colleagues from around the region. CSG/ERC’s Health Policy Committee is chaired by…
Read MoreAdvocates call on SIM to adopt state Code of Ethics
A letter was sent yesterday from independent consumer advocates to SIM leadership calling for SIM to follow CT’s Public Officials and State Employees Guide to the Code of Ethics, to protect the integrity of both SIM contracting and larger health reform efforts in our state. The advocates are asking for these protections now, before major…
Read MoreH&R Block report finds half of ACA subsidy recipients will have to pay IRS back; uninsured penalties average $172
A new analysis by H&R Block finds that 52% of taxpayers nationally who received subsidies last year to purchase coverage in the exchanges will owe the IRS an average of $530 for overpayments. The “settlement” is to reconcile insurance subsides paid based on estimated earnings during the year with actual earnings. On the positive side,…
Read MoreMore on budget cuts – it makes no sense
Providers and advocates detailed the potential impact if the Governor’s budget proposals are adopted in a CT Mirror article published today. Heading the list of counterproductive cuts is the proposal to derail Medicaid efforts to coordinate care for the most costly and fragile members, expanding the successful model that reversed the HUSKY mess under managed…
Read MoreTroubling Medicaid, SIM updates
Friday’s Medicaid Council meeting focused on eligibility, renewal changes and implementation with a very helpful primer on the process. There is no clear answer to why Medicaid membership has dropped by 34,232 since October, but the transition to MAGI income rules and renewal delays to protect consumers from lapses in coverage are probably part of…
Read MoreNew issue brief examines impact of Governor’s proposed Medicaid cuts
A new CTHPP issue brief explores the Governor’s budget proposals for the Medicaid program, CT’s largest coverage plan. The brief describes the costs of replacement coverage from the insurance exchange for the 34,000 HUSKY parents who would be cut in the Governor’s proposal. The brief also puts perspective on the cuts compared to savings in…
Read MoreGovernor proposes deep cuts to Medicaid
Updated February 19 Despite strong evidence of cost control and improving quality in the Medicaid program, today the Governor has proposed significant cuts to both eligibility and provider payment rates. The Governor has proposed cutting 34,000 low income parents off the HUSKY program. Parents in families of three with annual incomes as low as $28,000…
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