Budget Process
Advocacy Tool of the Day archive online
The last Advocacy Tool of the Day will be in email boxes on Monday. The Tools provided a roadmap through the updated Advocacy Toolbox. Tools included how to engage policymakers, serving on a policy committee, coalitions, working with reporters, thanking the people that help, and the budget cycle (very important this coming year). If you…
Read MoreCost Cap underservice monitoring plan is very weak, puts people at risk
Download the report This week, the Office of Health Strategy (OHS) unveiled their plan to monitor for unintended consequences of their plan to cap healthcare cost increases. OHS acknowledged in the plan that the Cap “may cause providers to reduce provision of necessary healthcare services so as not to exceed the benchmark.” Only a very…
Read MoreCT Medicaid eligibility and service decisions benefit members but also the state budget
It may be counter-intuitive but, despite our high incomes, Connecticut’s generosity in eligibility and provider rates means the federal government provides more support to our program than other states. Medicaid is jointly funded, and administered, by both federal and state governments. Federal funding is highest to states with the lowest per capita incomes. As a…
Read MoreHas MA’s cost cap worked? Should CT copy it?
Download the report The latest reports (here and here) on Massachusetts’s first-in-the-nation cost cap project raise questions about whether it has worked. Since the cap was implemented in 2013, consumer costs are growing faster than overall healthcare, inflation, or incomes. Despite almost eight years under their cost cap, Massachusetts’s out-of-pocket costs and premiums have grown…
Read MoreCT hospital uncompensated care below US average, varies between hospitals, no relation to profits
Read the report According to the state’s latest report, Connecticut hospitals provided totaled $806 million in uncompensated care last year, up 5.3% from 2018. Uncompensated care is the total of charity care, provided to needy patients that hospitals never expected to be reimbursed, plus bad debt, care provided that patients couldn’t or wouldn’t pay for.…
Read MorePublic comments critical of OHS’s Cost Cap plan
Several comments submitted on the Office of Health Strategy’s plan to cap healthcare costs during the public comment period raised serious concerns. The concerns echo those raised in previous unanswered letters signed by dozens of advocates. Comments were submitted by CT legal services programs, Gaye Hyre on behalf of the advocate letter writers, and one…
Read MoreCTNJ candidate questionnaire now online
Candidates’ answers to CT News Junkie’s questionnaire about policy issues facing Connecticut is now online. Several questions relate to healthcare. Inform your vote by checking out your candidates’ answers. Health questions for candidates: What should Connecticut do to re-tool our public health for COVID-19 and the possibility of future pandemics, while also addressing other chronic…
Read MoreSign up for daily tips on the Art and Craft of Advocacy
You want to make a difference, but advocacy can be confusing, frustrating, and time-consuming. We can help. Sign up for Today’s Advocacy Tool – a month of inspiration, tips, and practical tools. Every weekday in November, we’ll send an email with insight, best practices, and lessons we’ve learned from the updated Health Advocacy Toolbox. You’ll…
Read MoreOHS committee considers how to sell the Cost Cap to stakeholders
Last week’s meeting of the Office of Healthcare Strategy’s Cost Cap committee, as they are wrapping up the project design, ended with discussion of how to ensure their project is successful in controlling healthcare costs. Despite developing the Cap during a pandemic, there has been considerable resistance and mistrust of the concept and the process.…
Read MoreUpdated Advocacy Toolbox: How to make a difference, where to start, and how to get there
Healthcare policymaking in CT can be complex and frustrating. But you’re not alone and there is help. With generous support from the Connecticut Health Foundation, we’ve updated our Health Advocacy Toolbox. The comprehensive site covers legislative, administrative, and state budget advocacy, how to change public opinion, finding and working in coalitions, effective communications, and how…
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