Health Coverage
CT workers’ health benefits cost more, but growing more slowly and take less of our incomes
Download the report While total premiums, deductibles, and the workers’ share of premiums for Connecticut employee health coverage are higher than the US average, they have generally grown less quickly and consume less of our incomes than for other Americans from 2010 to 2019. Connecticut employer health coverage total premiums, employee share of premiums, and…
Read MoreCTNJ ANALYSIS | On Healthcare, Candidates Focused on Public Option, Medicare For All, Drug Prices
This year, Connecticut candidates running for office during a global pandemic and a harsh recession had thoughtful, well-informed answers to CTNewsJunkie‘s tough healthcare questions. One said, “The impact of the pandemic has brought the need for affordable health care into even sharper focus. Many people lost their health insurance when they lost their jobs .…
Read MoreCT Medicaid eligibility and service decisions benefit members but also the state budget
It may be counter-intuitive but, despite our high incomes, Connecticut’s generosity in eligibility and provider rates means the federal government provides more support to our program than other states. Medicaid is jointly funded, and administered, by both federal and state governments. Federal funding is highest to states with the lowest per capita incomes. As a…
Read MoreYNHH and New Haven clinics open primary care center, despite transportation barriers and higher costs for patients and the state
On Monday, Yale New-Haven Health System with the Fairhaven and Cornell Scott Hill health centers announced the opening of their merged primary care clinic on Long Wharf. YNHH is closing their three neighborhood primary care clinics and moving healthcare for over 25,000 low income patients to the remote site. Community members find the transportation plans…
Read MoreMedian income CT residents squeezed between rising insurance premiums and inadequate subsidies
A new CMS analysis finds that between 2015 and 2019, US insurance premiums rose while enrollment in insurance exchanges went down. The report found that 85% of the drop in enrollment was in unsubsidized coverage. People with incomes below 400% of the federal poverty level ($51,040 for an individual, $86,880 for a family of three)…
Read MoreAmericans are getting non-emergency care again, but progress varies
In good news, Americans are getting preventive and maintenance care visits, according to an analysis by the Commonwealth Fund. But progress is not even. While visits to dermatologists and for adult primary care are higher than before the pandemic, unfortunately behavioral health care visits and visits for young children have not rebounded. This is particularly…
Read MoreMedicaid rolls up 3.9% since February
The number of people getting medical assistance through the state is up by 40,158 or 3.9% from February to last month, according to new numbers from DSS. This was expected as people lose jobs and the employer-sponsored coverage that comes with those jobs. With less income more state residents were expected to qualify for Medicaid.…
Read MoreBook Club: Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism
By Anne Case and Angus Deaton Reversing a century of progress, life expectancy has fallen for three years in a row but only in the US. Rising rates of suicide, drug overdoses and alcoholism are largely to blame. There were early media reports about the trend, but this detailed yet readable book goes much farther.…
Read MoreCost Cap committee considers who qualifies for increased primary care spending
In response to stakeholder feedback that the prior Cost Cap levels were unrealistic and risk unintended harm to patients, at their last meeting the Office of Health Strategy’s Cost Cap committee slightly softened the cap levels. The committee continued their discussion of which providers qualify as primary care providers. OHS wants to significantly increase the…
Read MoreHelp for CT’s uninsured
With the recent spike in unemployment, many more Connecticut residents will be joining the thousands that were uninsured pre-COVID looking for healthcare coverage. The state has some new options to help. Check AccessHealthCT. You may be surprised to find that you qualify for HUSKY which is comprehensive, free, and includes most Connecticut providers. You may…
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