Posts by Ellen Andrews
Half of exchange enrollees were uninsured
A survey released yesterday conducted by AccessHealthCT found that 53% of people who signed up for coverage through the exchange this year were previously uninsured. The question asked if anyone in the enrollees’ household had insurance in the past year. Interestingly the percent of households previously uninsured differed little for those who enrolled in Medicaid…
Read MoreCSG/ERC Hopkins tour highlights patient safety, care coordination and cancer innovations
Yesterday’s off-site trip to Johns Hopkins from the CSG/ERC annual meeting was impressive. We heard about out of the box thinking by a clinical scientist that led to a breakthrough in treating lung cancer – that very low, but longer term doses of chemotherapy drugs worked better than full doses in shrinking tumors and helped…
Read MoreMoving video and panel on the opiod addiction epidemic, with policy options to address the problem
This morning’s standing-room-only panel at CSG/ERC’s annual meeting in Baltimore on the epidemic of opiod addiction combined emotion with constructive options for policymakers. We first watched part of The Hungry Heart, a movie about the rising toll of addiction on rural communities and heard from a former addict and a physician from the movie.…
Read MoreCSG/ERC panel on Medicaid innovations
Today’s health committee meeting at the CSG/ERC annual meeting in Baltimore featured updates from NY and CT about what is working in state Medicaid programs, and an update from CMMI on what’s next for the State Innovation Model program. Sen. Terry Gerratana moderated the panel that included Asm. Richard Gottfried (NY), Olivia Puckett (MAPOC) and…
Read MoreCA’s exchange keeps coverage affordable through negotiation
Premiums on California’s exchange will rise only 4.2% next year, due in large part to active purchasing. Overall health spending is expected to rise 6.2% next year. Through active purchasing, CA’s exchange negotiates premiums with insurers to get the best deal for consumers. Connecticut’s exchange does not negotiate premiums on behalf of consumers. CT’s insurance…
Read MoreCT health reform progress dips to 28%
CT lost ground in progress toward health reform according to the August CT Health Reform Dashboard. The state moved backward to 28% completion mainly due to the new SIM/Medicaid plan that has drawn concerns from many stakeholders, less transparent policymaking, and concerns that a federal grant is driving health policy choices. Progress on patient-centered…
Read MoreNew SIM under service survey — please help protect consumers
The SIM Equity and Access Committee is working to develop a monitoring system for inappropriate underservice as CT’s health system moves toward shared savings payment models. Underservice can be denial of appropriate care, limiting expensive treatment options, limiting access to certain providers, avoidance of consumers that may not generate savings, or cost shifting to consumers.…
Read MorePublic forum tonight about St. Mary’s Hospital purchase and for-profit conversion
At 5pm tonight there will be a public forum at St. Mary’s Hospital’s Conference Center Auditorium about plans to sell the hospital to Tenet Healthcare Corp. Tenet is a for-profit hospital chain based in Dallas with hospitals and clinics in 16 states. Tenet plans to purchase five CT hospitals, including nearby Waterbury Hospital, and create…
Read MoreValue over Volume 2.0 – twenty three tools for state policymakers to improve quality and control costs
Health care costs consume nearly a quarter of state budgets, and that share is rising at a rate that policymakers agree is unsustainable. Evidence shows that our runaway spending is not driving improved quality, and that lasting reform will require a shift from a volume-based system to one based on value. The good news is…
Read More$3 million in ACA insurance rebates coming to CT residents
69,186 CT residents will soon receive $3 million in rebates from insurers that spent less than 80% (individual coverage) or 85% (large groups) of premiums on medical or quality improvement services last year. The rebates result from Medical Loss Ratio provisions in the ACA. CT’s total is down from $5.6 million in total refunds for…
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