CT Health Reform
Private Insurance chapter in CT Healthcare Explained updated
We’ve updated the Private Insurance chapter of CT Healthcare Explained. The update was prompted by new numbers and new topics, including level-funded plans, Connecticut private insurance prices compared to Medicare, and wide hospital price variation. CT Healthcare Explained is our explainer website cutting through the complexities of our state’s healthcare system. Like the other 17…
Read MoreMedicaid chapter in CT Healthcare Explained updated
We’ve made a massive update to the Medicaid chapter of CT Healthcare Explained. The update was prompted by new numbers and updated performance. We also included the significant changes to the program required by the budget bill passed by Congress and the Trump administration this month. We also included a description of Connecticut’s decision not…
Read MoreAnalysis: CT is a National Leader in Fight to Control Drug Costs
This year, Connecticut passed meaningful laws to control stubbornly-high prescription drug prices. According to the Office of Health Strategy, prescription drugs are among the top three drivers of Connecticut’s unaffordable healthcare costs, across Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance. States don’t have the powerful levers that federal policymakers could access, and federal law can be a…
Read MoreCT health policy learning opportunity
To help build health policy capacity in our state, the CT Health Policy Project is launching a guided study/class that builds on CT Healthcare Explained. There is no cost for the course. There is a webpage for the course (learncthealth.org) that starts in September and runs through December. We’ll use a hybrid format – video…
Read MoreCT drops five notches in health system performance ranking
Connecticut ranks 11th among states according to the Commonwealth Fund’s 2025 Scorecard on State Health System Performance report. While we’re still ahead of 39 states, we fell from 6th place in the 2023 report. The problems touch the cost of care, no surprise, but also utilization/access and quality. The cost of care gets a lot…
Read MoreFederal changes are coming into view – it’s not good, but there is hope
It’s hard to keep up with the updates about the potential impact of Congressional healthcare proposals. Just when there is a glimmer of light, it gets worse. I won’t blame anyone for not reading any further. For those of us who can’t look away, here are two new analyses of note and two glimmers of…
Read MoreCoverage chapter in CT Healthcare Explained updated
We’ve refreshed the numbers, links, and trends in the Coverage chapter of CT Healthcare Explained. The update was prompted by new numbers but also by significant potential changes being considered by Congress and the Trump administration now. We have a lot to lose in Connecticut, where our uninsured rates are low compared to other states.…
Read MoreUpdated data tool finds CT life expectancy 8 years better than US, but large disparities
County Health Rankings has updated their massive dataset for 2025, and Connecticut is doing well overall. We live longer than residents of other states, but our quality of life is just average. There are also significant health differences between communities in our state. The site has a wealth of data, and an AI-powered tool to…
Read MoreAnalysis: If it passes, Congressional bill would make 140,000 more people uninsured in Connecticut
If the current US House budget proposal passes into law, experts estimate that 140,000 more Connecticut residents will lose health coverage. They will join the 195,000 currently uninsured state residents and Connecticut’s uninsured numbers will rise to the highest level in twenty years. Losing coverage is not good for the uninsured, both their physical and…
Read MoreCT is underfunding public health despite growing risks, Updated CT Public Health resource
Public health focuses on preventing health problems rather than the more costly treatment of patients when they are ill. Experts estimate that only 20% of our health outcomes are connected to clinical care services. Over the 20th Century, Americans’ life expectancy rose 62%. Those gains were largely due to effective public health initiatives. More recently…
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