CT Health Reform
February 2017 – Connecticut hangs onto a C+ this year for health reform Mistrust is serious and pervasive
Connecticut health care thought leaders again gave our state a C+ grade for health reform last month, but our GPA dropped from 2.4 to 2.2. Connecticut’s grade for effort didn’t change from last year still at a B-/C+ (GPA 2.5) in this survey. Connecticut continues to earn higher marks for Medicaid and the health insurance…
Read MoreNovember CT Health Reform Dashboard – status quo, again and again and again
Like the last two months, November’s CT’s Health Reform Dashboardhas changed little. Growing and understandable mistrust remains at the core of problems in CT. Medicaid policy development and implementation is still mired in mistrust, incomprehensible and misleading consumer “notices”, rushing ahead without data, quality problems, and a lack of transparency while state officials refuse…
Read MoreSeptember CT Health Reform Dashboard – little changing, and that’s not good
CT’s September Health Reform Dashboard update is about the same as last month. Medicaid policy development and implementation is still mired in mistrust, rushing ahead without data, quality problems, and a lack of transparency while state officials refuse to answer questions. Thankfully physicians and others are taking the reins and building a badly needed health…
Read MoreAugust CT Health Reform Dashboard – Medicaid concerns grow but continuing hope for drug costs
CT’s August Health Reform Dashboardremains mixed. Medicaid policy development and implementation remains mired in mistrust, rushing ahead without data, quality problems, and a lack of transparency while state officials refuse to answer questions. The new state HIT plan is travelling the same troubled path from the past but thankfully physicians and others are just getting…
Read MorePervasive uncertainty affects CT Health Reform Dashboard
July’s CT Health Reform Dashboard reflects growing uncertainty at the state and federal levels. If passed, Congressional proposals to replace the ACA will shift massive costs onto CT and result in a sharp drop in coverage. State budget cuts threaten current services and coverage. Nevertheless, DSS is doggedly forging ahead with a questionable payment experiment…
Read MoreNew data finds CT leads nation in lowering Medicaid costs
New data from CMS actuaries finds that Medicaid per capita health care spending dropped 5.7% from 2010 to 2014, better than any other state. Of note, in 2012 CT Medicaid shifted away from capitated managed care organizations to run Medicaid. Unfortunately, the rest of the CT’s market is not performing as well as Medicaid –…
Read MoreJune CT Health Reform Dashboard – concerns remain but some hope for drug costs
CT’s June Health Reform Dashboard remains unsettled. Mistrust remains at the core of problems in CT. The new state HIT environmental scan mentions the need for trust a dozen times. Medicaid policy development and implementation remains mired in mistrust, rushing ahead without data, and a lack of transparency. The state budget remains dreary and signals…
Read MoreHealth Care Cabinet tackles drug costs
At yesterday’s meeting, CT’s Health Care Cabinet agreed to create four working groups to develop recommendations and options to control drug spending in the state. We also reviewed a report from CT’s APCD on the Top 50 Highest Total Cost Drugs in CT. The Cabinet has been taking a deep dive into rising prescription drug…
Read MoreMay CT Health Reform Dashboard – Medicaid U turn, federal relief premature
CT’s May Health Reform Dashboard is unsettled again. Mistrust remains at the core of problems in CT. Medicaid policy development and implementation have taken a very disappointing turn away from collaboration, transparency, and data for reasons that don’t make any sense (there are a few theories). Just a few of the persistent problems in PCMH+,…
Read MoreCTNJ: CT health policy has trust issues
An OP-ED today in CT News Junkie describes the sorry level of mistrust in CT health policymaking. “Mistrust is pervasive in Connecticut policymaking and it’s blocking progress.” Luckily we know how to fix it – if only we have the sense.Read the piece
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