consumer info
If the ACA is overturned, one in four Connecticut adults could lose coverage due to a pre-existing condition
A new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that 529,000 non-elderly adults (24%) in Connecticut have pre-existing health conditions that could affect their ability to get or afford health insurance if the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is overturned. Researchers estimate that 27% of non-elderly adult Americans have a health condition and 45% of families…
Read More2020 insurance premium requests increase lower for individuals on AccessHealthCT, most of whom are subsidized, older and higher risk
Connecticut insurers have filed their requests for individual and small group premium increases for 2020 with the CT Insurance Dept. Requests vary from an average reduction of 9.8% for CTCare individual plans outside AccessHealthCT, our state’s insurance exchange, to 22% average increases for Aetna small group plans also outside AccessHealthCT. Six in ten people in…
Read MoreJoin webinar for patients on leading methodology to evaluate the value of costly treatments
September 4th all patients and groups are invited to a webinar to give input on ICER’s Value Assessment Framework methods. The non-profit Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) is the nation’s leading independent analyst of evidence on the effectiveness and value of drugs and other treatments. ICER produces public reports used by Medicare, Medicaid,…
Read MoreState approves controversial New Haven primary care move
Friday, the state Office of Health Strategy gave final approval Yale-New Haven’s application to move primary care for over 25,000 low income consumers out of neighborhoods and shift them to the Cornell Scott and Fairhaven health centers for payment purposes. Under the final agreement patients would still be cared for by the same YNHH primary…
Read MoreMotorcycle helmets save Connecticut lives; could save $207 million more
In a new analysis, researchers from CT Children’s Medical Center found that Connecticut motorcycle riders who crash are one and a half times less likely to be seriously injured or die in a crash if they are wearing a helmet but only about half are. The new report published in CT Medicine studied the 4,021…
Read MoreProposed federal rule would require hospitals to post negotiated rates
A new proposed federal regulation (called a “rule”) would allow consumers to compare negotiated service prices by hospital and by payer. These would be the real prices paid by insurers, both hospital and payer-specific prices, as well as gross prices. This information could be extremely helpful for consumers without insurance and those with high deductibles…
Read MoreComments needed on federal proposal to erode medical debtors’ rights
The National Consumer Law Center is asking people who care to submit public comments on the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s proposed debt collection rule. Medical bills are the biggest cause of bankruptcy and the top reason for contact by collections. Unfortunately, that burden falls very heavily on Connecticut residents. Health insurance premiums for both…
Read MoreYNHH transportation plan for controversial primary care shift troubling, concerns remain
Monday, Yale-New Haven Health System answered the state’s eighth set of questions about their controversial application with the Hill Health and Fairhaven Health Centers to move primary care for 25,000 mainly low-income New Haven area residents out of the current neighborhood sites to Long Wharf. Among many concerns voiced by patients, advocates and community leaders…
Read MoreCTNJ: AG expands generic drug price-fixing lawsuit
Friday, Connecticut’s Attorney General Tong and 43 other Attorneys General filed a federal lawsuit alleging that 20 generic drug manufacturers and 15 individuals conspired to inflate prices for 114 drugs that treat a multitude of conditions. The complaint outlines a broad, coordinated campaign across the industry to fix prices, allocate markets and rig bids. Price-fixing…
Read MoreMore questions for YNHH about controversial primary care proposal
Yesterday, the state Office of Health Strategy sent their eighth set of questions about the controversial application of Yale-New Haven Health System and their community health center partners to move primary care for 28,500 mainly low-income New Haven area residents out of the current neighborhood sites to Long Wharf. Among others, critical concerns have been…
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