CT Health Reform
ACA and covering the uninsured: How did CT do?
An analysis of new Census data finds that 88,000 more CT residents had coverage last year than the year before, largely due to expansions under the Affordable Care Act. CT’s uninsured rate dropped from 9.4% in 2013 to 6.9% last year. However that drop was less than the US average and far less than other…
Read MoreHalf of CT’s remaining uninsured eligible for subsidies or Medicaid
A new analysis by Kaiser finds that 47% of CT’s remaining uninsured are eligible for subsidized coverage. The latest Census report found that CT’s uninsured rate dropped by 2.5% from 2013 to 2014., but 6.9% of state residents are still without coverage. While 87,000 more residents gained coverage in the first year of the ACA…
Read MoreNJ conference on Medicaid ACOs – deep commitment to applying lessons learned
A CT contingent ventured to NJ last week for their 4thAnnual MedicaidPayment Reform Summit. The conference was sponsored by the QI Collaborativewhich is working with the state and private foundations to support accountable care in NJ’s Medicaid program. We heard from Jeff Brenner of the Camden Coalition about their impressive results in serving high-need, high-cost consumers…
Read MoreOctober web quiz: Potential CT impact of the Cadillac tax
Test your knowledge of Connecticut employer health plans that may be subject to the ACA’s Cadillac tax. Take the October CT Health Policy Webquiz.
Read MoreCT health reform progress down 4th month in a row
Unfortunately CT’s progress toward health reform is down again this month to 25.6%, dropping for the fourth month in a row. Medicaid’s rushed return to a risky financial model and recent provider cuts led the concerns. However Medicaid officials continue to consult with stakeholders in the design. Higher premiums on CT’s health insurance exchange added…
Read MoreShared savings math doesn’t add up, CCIP plans could undermine Medicaid
A new brief outlines the risk to taxpayers from Medicaid shared savings increasing health costs, as SIM is pressing. About half of Medicare ACOs spent more money on health care for members under shared savings last year. If Connecticut’s ACOs perform in Medicaid shared savings as they did for Medicare, CT taxpayers could lose as much…
Read MoreCTNJ Op-Ed: Let’s Halt the Rush to Risky Medicaid Experiment
Today’s CT News Junkie includes an opinion piece urging caution and more time for thoughtful deliberation in moving 200,000 HUSKY members into a very new, untested payment model that is costing more for Medicare. CT’s Medicaid program is a success story – improving quality, increasing providers, and lowering costs – but that success is fragile.…
Read MoreCT median insurance premiums often higher on exchange than off
According to an analysis by the US Government Accountability Office of health insurance premiums, CT consumers paid more on our exchange than off, for many plan choices both last year and this year. This is unusual among states; nationally the best deals are usually found on health insurance exchanges. Median monthly silver-level premiums for a…
Read MoreCT health reform progress down again
Unfortunately CT’s progress toward health reform dropped again this month to 26.2% this month, adding to last month’s dip. Growing ethics and transparency problems at SIM led the concerns. CT hospital’s continuing poor performance on Medicare readmissions, consolidation and loss of services across hospitals added to the drop. In good news, if adopted SIM’s underservice…
Read MoreCTNJ op-ed: Insurers blocking underservice protections, again
Consumer protections had a good start in Connecticut’s latest health reform plan. But, as always, the devil is in the details. Unfortunately insurers are working to sabotage those protections to benefit their bottom line. Read more
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