Posts by Ellen Andrews
April CT Health Reform Dashboard – temporary relief at federal level but troubling payment model returns (again and again and again)
CT’s April Health Reform Dashboard is somewhat more settled than last month – but that’s not a good thing. Efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, plus cap Medicaid spending, were temporarily suspended, but are moving again at the federal level in the House. Despite the repeated lessons of history in CT, proponents…
Read MoreDoctor compensation continues to grow, Northeastern physicians about in the middle, Canadians higher
US physicians average $294 thousand in compensation this year, up from $206K in 2011 according to Medscape’s 2017 Physician Compensation Report. Mirroring the US average, physician payment in the Northeast averaged $296K. Canadian physicians are the only nationality paid more than Americans, on average. Specialists make 46% more than primary care physicians, and their compensation…
Read MoreLarge majority of CT hospitals and health systems making money
Last year, 23 of CT’s 28 hospitalsand half the 20 health systems made money last year. Collectively, CT’s 28 hospitals’ net margins (profits) totaled $877,878,858 last year. The biggest total winners were Dempsey/UConn at $286 million and Yale-New Haven netting $160 million. Waterbury Hospital lost the most money — $16.5 million or 7.6% of revenue.…
Read MoreAnalysts predict CT would lose $7 billion under the American Health Care Act
A new analysis by the Urban Institute finds that per capita caps on federal Medicaid spending under the American Health Care Act (AHCA) would reduce federal Medicaid funding to states by $457 billion or 9.8% from 2019 through 2028. If the bill passes, Connecticut stands to lose $7 billion or 10.9% of federal Medicaid funds.…
Read MoreMedicaid Council update – PCMH + and national Medicaid proposals
Friday’s MAPOC meeting started with an update about the shared savings experiment that covers 137,037 members and started January 1st. Contracts have been finalized with nine ACOs. enrollment % of total NEMG/Yale 7,509 5.5% St. Vincent’s 18,086 13.2% Fairhaven HC 7,811 5.7% Cornell Scott-Hill HC 13,781 10.1% Generations Family HC 8,000 5.8% Southwest CHC…
Read MoreCT seventh in nation in Medicaid payments for opioid addiction treatment
While the opioid epidemic impacts all income levels, Medicaid is the largest source of behavioral health care and opioid addiction treatment. However that rate varies considerably by state, according to an analysis by STAT News. Connecticut Medicaid pays for 44.3% of opioid agonist (buprenorphine) prescriptions compared to the national average of 24.2%. Connecticut is just…
Read MoreLatest ACA replacement expected to cost CT up to $1 billion/year and increase premiums for residents
An analysis by CT’s Office of Policy and Management estimates that the House Republicans’ American Health Care Act (AHCA) would severely stress the state’s budget far into the future. Extra costs would start at $6.8 million next fiscal year and rise to $1 billion after 2020 when fully implemented. Policymakers are now trying to fill…
Read MoreHealth reform dashboard reflects uncertainty, good and bad trends
March’s CT Health Reform Dashboard update reflects good, bad and uncertain policy movement in CT and DC. Most troubling is the level of mistrust among stakeholders in our state’s health system first recognized formally by out-of-state consultants to the Health Care Cabinet. This problem undermines even well-intentioned efforts to make progress, that otherwise would receive…
Read MoreCT stuck at C+ grade for health reform, Mistrust is high and pervasive
Connecticut health care thought leaders again gave our state a C+ grade for health reform last month, but our GPA dropped from 2.4 to 2.2. Connecticut’s grade for effort didn’t change from last year still at a B-/C+ (GPA 2.5) in this survey. Connecticut continues to earn higher marks for Medicaid and the health insurance…
Read MoreNew report finds adults in Medicaid expansion states like CT have better access to care, fewer financial barriers
A new report from the CDC provides the first analysis of the population-based impact of the Affordable Care Act. The analysis used data from the 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a state-based ongoing survey of adult Americans about health risk behaviors, chronic conditions, health care access and use of preventive care. As for previous…
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