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CT health insurance exchange update – enrollees trend older, Anthem billing problems, and good stories of coverage
Customers trying to buy coverage on Access Health CT, our state’s health insurance exchange, from Anthem are having trouble paying their bill to comply with the Affordable Care Act’s January 1st coverage mandate. Anthem is the most popular choice with 25,000 enrollees so far. Many people have paid their bill but have not been set…
Read MoreCT’s insurance exchange price tag — $156.3 million
An analysis by the CT Health I-Team finds that setting up our state insurance exchange, AccessHealthCT, is costing $156.3 million – that is $460 for each uninsured state resident. The equivalent of 88 full time workers are involved in the massive undertaking. Most of that money is paying for consultants but salaries consume $14 million…
Read MoreSIM update
SIM leaders released their financial analysis, response to public comments, and revised vision statement at the last meeting. We will be providing a longer analysis when the final plan is available, but a few points bear highlighting. Despite strong public comments voicing concern about under-treatment incentives in shared savings, SIM leaders recommended not to include…
Read MoreSIM public comments: diverse and mostly critical
Last month Connecticut’s State Innovation Model (SIM) planning group, working for most of the year, solicited public comment for the first time. SIM is the administration’s plan, based on federal grant provisions, to radically transform Connecticut’s health system – payment and care delivery. The federal grant requires the plan to cover at least 80% of…
Read MoreSIM plan comments focus on protecting consumers
CT’s SIM draft plan to reform health care for at least 80% of state residents in five years is out for public comment. SIM is the state’s newest plan to radically reform health care delivery and payment across the entire state. Concerns raised in the CT Health Policy Project’s comments include potential incentives in the…
Read MoreHealth exchange enrollment still low and older
12,648 people have signed up for coverage through Access Health CT, our state health insurance exchange in the first month according to new enrollment numbers. About half (41%) have qualified for Medicaid. The other half (56%) enrolled in private insurance plans; more than half of those are choosing a silver plan. 62% have enrolled in…
Read MoreAdvocates’ letter expands on SIM concerns about payment model risks
A new letter signed by 21 CT consumer advocates to the SIM committee provides more clarity on previous concerns and raises others that have surfaced in the SIM draft plan. SIM is the state’s newest plan to radically reform health care delivery and payment across the entire state. Previous concerns, raised in our August letter…
Read MoreSIM slides outline project and consumer risks
Slidescreated for a presentation to consumer advocates provides background on the state SIM project, its goals, the administration’s proposal, and risksto consumers and taxpayers are online. SIM is the administration’s plan to radically transform health care – how it is delivered and how it is paid for – for at least 80% of state residents…
Read MoreSIM proposal draft – no commitment to deny payment to providers who deny care
During yesterday’s meeting, SIM leaders posted their first draft online of the administration’s plan to reform health care in CT. SIM is designed to radically transform how health care is delivered and paid for in our state across all payers – Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, self-insured employers, individuals and small businesses. Despite earlier encouraging conversations,…
Read MoreSIM update – moving in a better direction
Yesterday’s SIM meeting showed some positive movement toward a system that respects and protects consumers. Recognizing the potential harm to consumers, SIM leaders now intend to monitor for under-treatment and inappropriate treatment, and the payment model no longer includes capitation, both serious concerns raised by advocates. However advocates remain troubled that there is no…
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