consumer info
Analysis: Trump order jeopardizes cost effective, life-changing cure for sickle cell
We are lucky to live in a time when creative scientists are developing life-changing new cures for debilitating genetic diseases. These breakthrough treatments are as important as penicillin or insulin were in their time. Unfortunately, they are also very expensive. To help pay for them, federal Medicaid officials created an opportunity to help states afford…
Read MoreJoin Medicaid EPSDT Grand Rounds
CT 359 will host a panel of experts and commentators on EPSDT: Medicaid Federal Impacts, Developmental Screening, and Practice Insights on Tuesday, February 11th from 9:30 to 11am via Zoom. CT 359 is a coalition of twenty nonprofits, government agencies, and universities dedicated to ensuring that all children in Connecticut are thriving by ages three,…
Read MoreCT is the 6th most expensive state for smokers costing more than $5 million over a lifetime
Smoking is terrible for your health — tobacco kills 4,900 Connecticut residents each year. However, it’s also a very expensive bad habit. A new analysis by WalletHub estimates lifetime costs for Connecticut smokers at $5,035,722 or $104,911 annually. This is the sixth highest smoking burden among states. The researchers modeled the costs for a pack-a-day…
Read MoreAnalysis: Hartford HealthCare Settlement with St. Francis Still Leaves Two Important Class Action Suits Active
CT News Junkie reports that St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center has reached a settlement with Hartford HealthCare in their lawsuit alleging unfair business practices. It’s good that St. Francis’s complaints as a competitor have been addressed, but the concerns of consumers and payers are still outstanding in two class action lawsuits against Hartford HealthCare.…
Read MoreAnalysis: Despite the name, value is not the solution for raging healthcare costs
The murder of a United health executive has intensified very strong reactions to America’s broken healthcare system. Unfortunately, too many opportunists are using this tragedy to push a tired, failed agenda – value-based care and its corollary, Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). Read more
Read MoreICER’s 4th annual report finds progress in fair access to prescription drugs
Over the last four years, barriers facing patients getting access to cost effective drugs in commercial plans and the Veteran’s Administration have gotten better, according to ICER’s fourth annual Barriers to Fair Access report. The authors compare plan policies, including cost sharing, clinical eligibility, step therapy and provider restrictions, to independent standards for fair access…
Read MoreReport finds growing number of drug prices rising without merit
Half of the ten fastest-rising drug prices without any evidence of improved value last year, according to the latest report from ICER. This is the highest percentage of unsupported prescription drug prices since ICER began this report in 2019. The increased prices rose far faster than inflation for the rest of the economy. Just the…
Read MoreMore questions and answers on DSS’s plan for HUSKY maternity bundles
Read the new questions and answers DSS is planning to move Medicaid payments for maternity services from the current fee-for-service arrangement to a per-person bundled payment. They will also expand services to include doula and lactation supports. However, advocates have asked questions and raised concerns about unintended consequences when providers make more money by reducing…
Read MoreMaterials from webinar on improved HUSKY cancer survival in CT without MCOs
Yesterday, Dr. John Cramer described his study published earlier this year describing a significant increase in cancer survival and early detection in Connecticut’s Medicaid program when the Managed Care Organizations left in 2012. Click here for slides and here for a recording of the webinar. The study — Association of Medicaid Privatization With Patient Cancer…
Read MoreWebinar: Study finds improved early cancer diagnosis and survival after MCOs left HUSKY
Join Rep. Jillian Gilchrest and Sen. Saud Anwar, Co-Chairs of MAPOC, for a webinar December 10th at 2pm with Dr. John Cramer on his study published in JCO Oncology Practice in January. His study found that cancer early detection have increased 4% and survival rates have increased 8% since MCOs left Connecticut Medicaid. There was…
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