Budget Process
Governor’s first budget proposal has plenty of good news, with a bit of wait-and-see news, and a bit of bad news
The Lamont administration released their first budget today. In healthcare, it is mostly good news, but also some we’ll wait-and-see, and a bit of bad news. The good news: There are no cuts to HUSKY parents eligibility, no cuts to Medicaid Savings Program (mostly), and no plans to return to private insurers managed care. Let’s…
Read MoreCT Medicaid’s managed fee-for-service model saved $300 million last year
Updated 2/19/2019 We got very good news on Medicaid spending, again, at last week’s MAPOC meeting. Per member costs were down 2% from 2016 to last year, even despite hospital rate increases, saving taxpayers $300 million. The state’s share of Medicaid has barely budged since 2014, despite huge enrollment increases. CT remains behind other states…
Read MoreCTNJ policy series starts Jan. 16 with state budget
CT News Junkie is launching Let’s Talk, a new policy forum series, to explore complex challenges facing Connecticut. The series starts Wednesday, January 16th at 10am with The Squeeze is On: The Next State Budget. Revenue isn’t keeping up with past promises and tough challenges across issues will be hard to fix without resources. Panelists…
Read MoreCTNJ: Analysis – Clinic plan could hit state budget, raise patient costs, increase barriers to access
Last week the state Office of Health Strategy held a public hearing on a plan to transfer 28,500 mostly Medicaid patients, now served by three Yale-New Haven (YNHH) neighborhood primary care clinics, to a new site on Long Wharf owned by YNHH. But in a twist that could cost the state millions, those patients will…
Read MorePublic hearing on controversial YNHH primary care plan this week
The state Office of Health Strategy (formerly OHCA) will be holding a CON public hearing next Wednesday November 28th at 3pm at the Parish House at Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School, 150 Kimberly Ave., New Haven, CT 06519. Yale-New Haven Hospital, together with New Haven’s two community health centers, Fairhaven and Cornell Scott Hill Health…
Read More31 ways to save on healthcare in Connecticut’s budget
Connecticut’s state budget is facing future deficits and health spending is a large share of the budget. The state now spends $3.8 billion between Medicaid and the state employee health plan to cover about a million state residents. Health care spending outside the state budget is also growing. Connecticut has the sixth highest per capita…
Read MoreWorking parents can keep HUSKY coverage
The consensus state budget passed late yesterday includes full restoration of eligibility for current HUSKY parents. Over 13,000 working parents with incomes up to 155% of the federal poverty level ($32,209 this year) will keep coverage under the HUSKY program. Also in the budget is funding to cover out-of-pocket health costs for low income seniors…
Read MoreCalls needed to save healthcare for 13,000 working parents
Unless legislators act soon, 13,000 working parents will lose HUSKY coverage this coming January 1st. Sally Grossman, one of those parents with two small children, runs her own house painting business. According to Sally, “Every year I do a little better. But if I earn over $28,000, I lose my health insurance.” Click here for…
Read MoreGovernor proposes new health reform planning agency, and more cuts to HUSKY parents
The Governor’s state budget proposal, released today, includes $5.8 million in rearranged funding and staff for a new Office of Health Strategy, effective July 2018, to “enhance coordination and consolidate accountability for the implementation of the state’s health care reform strategies.” The office will combine OHCA (formerly a separate agency, but now part of DPH…
Read MoreGovernor offers third budget proposal — Still cuts another 8,700 working parents’ HUSKY coverage
In the ongoing tense budget negotiations, yesterday the administration offered yet another budget proposal in response to the legislature’s latest version. However the Governor and legislature are still reportedly over $100 million apart. The new proposal retains the Governor’s plan to cut 8,700 more HUSKY parents from coverage. In a classic case of misdirection, that…
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