Posts by Ellen Andrews
Upcoming webinars on overtreatment and shared decisionmaking
Join us for two upcoming webinars on similar themes. The first will be December 28th at 10am with Rosemary Gibson, author of The Treatment Trap. Rosemary will describe the Overuse of Medical Care and what can be Done to Prevent It. To register, go to https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/828589337. The second is the Promise of Shared Decision-Making –…
Read MoreNew blog – CT Health Insurance Exchange Watch
A new blog, CT Health Insurance Exchange Watch, is tracking development of CT’s Health Insurance Exchange. The blog is jointly sponsored by Small Business for a Healthy CT and the CT Health Policy Project. The latest entry includes an analysis noting that the percent of small businesses in MA offering health benefits to workers rose…
Read More45% of CT individual health plans last year would not have triggered consumer rebates under new federal rules
A Hartford Courant analysis of 2010 individual health plans sold in CT finds that 45% did not spend at least 80% of premiums on members’ medical expenses. A rule requiring plans to meet that standard, termed medical loss ratio, did not take effect until this year. Plans that don’t reach that standard, overspending on administration…
Read MoreNew slides posted to cthealthbook.org
Updated slides from a health policy undergraduate class are available online at cthealthbook.org. Class topics include CT’s health care system, health care finance, international comparisons, Medicare, Medicaid, food policy and health, drugs, long term care, and national health reform, among others.
Read MoreSmall businesses ask HHS for help with CT insurance exchange
Small Business for a Healthy CT, a coalition of small companies, sent a letter yesterday asking HHS Secretary Sebelius to intervene with CT policymakers and reverse insurance industry domination of the CT Health Insurance Exchange Board. SBHCT is among at least a dozen advocacy groups that have voiced concerns about the Board membership which includes…
Read MoreYalies invent 3D imaging system for skin lesions
Three Yale undergraduate students have developed the 3Derm System, a small imaging device to transmit 3 dimensional images of potential skin lesions. The device allows patients to take an image of a questionable lesion at home and send it to a dermatologist, who can assess it. It will allow doctors to monitor changes in a…
Read MoreCT hospitals well below US average in patient satisfaction
Patients at New Haven hospitals are the most satisfied in CT, but the bar is pretty low. New Haven’s hospitals ranked 204th out of 295 hospital referral regions in patient satisfaction, according to a calculation by Kaiser Health News based on HHS data. Hartford’s hospitals ranked 215th and Bridgeport’s were 227th. If you were thinking…
Read MoreNew regional patient safety organization created
NEVER is a new collaboration of New England consumer advocates working to improve the safety of health care services in our region. Connecticut’s Jean Rexford, founder of CT Center for Patient Safety, is a leader in the new effort. The group is working to give consumers tools to improve their care, compare providers and facilities…
Read MoreCT asthma rates up, cities hit hardest
A CT Health I-Team analysis of new DPH data finds that almost one in ten CT adults had asthma in 2009, up from 7.8% in 2000. Adults in CT’s five largest cities are three times more likely to visit an ER or be hospitalized for asthma than the state average. We often forget that it…
Read MoreAdvocates file ethics complaint over health insurance exchange insurance reps
A group of eight organizations, led by Citizens for Economic Opportunity and including the CT Health Policy Project, have requested an inquiry into the appointment of three members of the CT Health Insurance Exchange. The letter asserts that the appointments violate the law that created the Exchange which excludes membership by anyone “affiliated with or…
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