Posts by Ellen Andrews
ACA repeal, Medicaid, personalized medicine, and bioscience highlight at ERC Annual Meeting in Connecticut next month
Join CSG-ERC for our 2017 Annual Meeting and Policy Forum August 13 to 16 in Uncasville, CT. Health programming includes a lunch talk on the promise of genomics, the potential of bioscience to improve health and grow state economies, and the potential state impact of federal proposals to replace the Affordable Care Act, significantly change…
Read MoreLowest wage workers least likely to be offered health benefits at work
Only 22% of Americas earning the lowest ten percent of wages are offered medical benefits by their employer, according to a new report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This compares with 93% of the top ten percent of earners who are offered medical benefits at work. Unfortunately, the lowest wage workers also pay…
Read MorePervasive uncertainty affects CT Health Reform Dashboard
July’s CT Health Reform Dashboard reflects growing uncertainty at the state and federal levels. If passed, Congressional proposals to replace the ACA will shift massive costs onto CT and result in a sharp drop in coverage. State budget cuts threaten current services and coverage. Nevertheless, DSS is doggedly forging ahead with a questionable payment experiment…
Read MoreSen. Blumenthal holds third hearing on Senate ACA repeal bill
In response to public concerns, Sen. Richard Blumenthal will hold a third emergency field hearing on the Senate’s Better Care Reconciliation Act tomorrow, June 30th 10:00 to 11:30 am at the Hartford Public Library, 500 Main St. Earlier this week, CBO reported that the bill would make 22 million more Americans uninsured and cost state…
Read MoreAdvocates document concerns with PCMH+ implementation
The Medicaid Study Group, a coalition of independent consumer advocates, have published an update on CT Medicaid’s new payment reform experiment, PCMH+, fact sheet and report. The program started January 1st with 137,037 members. Under the new shared saving payment model, large health systems (called ACOs in other states and programs), get half the health care savings…
Read MoreCBO estimates that 22 million more Americans will become uninsured by 2026 under the Senate’s ACA replacement proposal
Thursday morning Senate leaders published their plan to replace the Affordable Care Act and modified it earlier today. The Senate proposal closely follows the bill that passed the House in May. According to today’s Congressional Budget Office’s report, the Senate bill would increase the number of uninsured Americans by 15 million next year and…
Read MoreNew to the Book Club — Economic Ideas You Should Forget
The title alone pulls you in – Economic Ideas You Should Forget. Ideas and theories that everyone believes but aren’t true. 71 eminent economists and social scientists from around the world each contributed an economic theory that should be forgotten. Myths debunked include more choice is better, that economic growth increases well-being, and that CEO…
Read MoreBlumenthal holding second emergency field hearing on ACA repeal proposals
Senator Blumenthalhas scheduled an emergency field hearing in New Haven Friday to hear the public’s thoughts on federal proposals to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Monday’s hearing in Hartford drew over 200 people with standing room only who wanted to share their concerns. Senate leaders will not allow any official public hearings or…
Read MoreReport estimates AHCA would cut $5.9 billion in Medicaid funds to CT
Connecticut would lose $5.9 billion in Medicaid funding from 2019 to 2028 under the American Health Care Act passed by the House last month, according to a new report from the Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Connecticut would likely not be in a position to fill that funding gap with state funds.…
Read MoreNew data finds CT leads nation in lowering Medicaid costs
New data from CMS actuaries finds that Medicaid per capita health care spending dropped 5.7% from 2010 to 2014, better than any other state. Of note, in 2012 CT Medicaid shifted away from capitated managed care organizations to run Medicaid. Unfortunately, the rest of the CT’s market is not performing as well as Medicaid –…
Read More