CT Health Reform
Health care forum at the LOB
Yesterday’s health care forum started with a strong presentation of the SustiNet proposal by Juan Figueroa of the Universal Health Care Foundation of CT and Stan Dorn of the Urban Institute. Juan described the inclusive process to develop the plan engaging diverse voices including business, providers, clergy, advocates, and consumers. Stan described the major tenets…
Read MoreHealth First Authority finalizes their report to the legislature
At their last meeting, by an eight to two vote, the Health First Authority approved their final report to the legislature. However it may not be their last meeting and it may not be the final report. The report was described as defining a broad strategy rather than detailed plans. As cost estimates for the…
Read MoreCT insurers push plan for universal health care; Rests on individual mandate
According to today’s Hartford Courant, CT’s insurance industry is promoting a plan to cover everyone in the state. The industry is proposing to create a pool for individuals who can’t get or can’t afford insurance in the market now. They expect state subsidies to make the coverage affordable – there is no mention of the…
Read MoreCharter Oak calls to the Consumer Helpline
I have been receiving a lot of calls on our Consumer Helpline (1-888-873-4585) from people having trouble signing up for the Charter Oak Health Care plan. Many of them are having difficulty in even getting answers to their questions from the toll free number that is the only one available for them to use. The…
Read MorePrimary Care Authority meeting
At today’s meeting, the Primary Care Authority accepted UConn’s report *check link * assessing CT’s primary care workforce capacity. The upshot of the report is that by a simple calculation of licensed providers per population we are OK. But that is only part of the story – that is probably an overestimate. The list of…
Read MoreHealth 1st Authority worsens individual mandate language
In their last meeting, the Health 1st Authority announced a change to their draft report in the individual mandate language attempting to accommodate some members who are holding out for the provision. The CT Health Policy Project has published research and analysis challenging the effectiveness of an individual mandate and outlining the impact on stressed…
Read MoreUniversal Health Care Foundation unveils comprehensive health reform plan
The Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut released its plan for health care reform on January 13, 2009 at a rally held at Union Station in Hartford. The room was packed with about 1,000 people from advocacy groups, labor unions, religious organizations and other groups. There were also quite a few legislators there, including President…
Read MoreWhy an individual mandate won’t work in CT
A new paper by the CT Health Policy Project outlines why an individual mandate, a law requiring every state resident to purchase health coverage won’t work. (For the shorter issue brief, click here.) Mandates are no guarantee of compliance; CT requires drivers to have auto insurance but 12% of drivers are uninsured. Unreimbursed care for…
Read MoreHealthFirst Authority draft report
The Authority’s much anticipated draft report was unveiled earlier this month. Thankfully, it does not include a recommendation for an individual mandate that all consumers must purchase health insurance. The report does recommend auto-enrollment in public programs of anyone who is uninsured with an income under 300% of the federal poverty level. A report on…
Read MoreHealth First Authority update
The Authority is winding down, but there is still no draft of the plan. At Monday’s meeting, members got a list of bullet points that caused serious contention. There were many complaints about disorganization and not having a draft to review. Part of the problem is that they are not on the same page about…
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