Health Reform
Help us build a CT health policy learning hub
Healthcare is critical to Connecticut’s wellbeing but navigating health policy is complicated and confusing. The Connecticut Health Policy Project is considering a new project for 2021 to foster understanding about health policy in our state. We plan to build on this year’s Advocacy Toolbox but widen to anyone who wants a better understanding of how…
Read MoreICER seeking members for New England evidence review group
The Institute for Economic and Clinical Review (ICER) is seeking nominations for new members to the New England Comparative Effectiveness Public Advisory Council (New England CEPAC). The Council includes leading clinicians, patient and consumer advocates, methodologists, and health economists. The group holds public meetings three to four times per year to discuss evidence reports on…
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 MoreCost Cap underservice monitoring plan is very weak, puts people at risk
Download the report This week, the Office of Health Strategy (OHS) unveiled their plan to monitor for unintended consequences of their plan to cap healthcare cost increases. OHS acknowledged in the plan that the Cap “may cause providers to reduce provision of necessary healthcare services so as not to exceed the benchmark.” Only a very…
Read MoreCTNJ Op-Ed: Labels matter in healthcare, especially the misleading ones
The President was right – healthcare is complicated. There are lots of reasons, but a big one is language. What something is called can add to or lessen understanding. Sometimes it can be deceptive, giving the impression of a more acceptable definition than the truth. It rarely works for long, but a lot of harm…
Read MoreCTNJ candidate questionnaire now online
Candidates’ answers to CT News Junkie’s questionnaire about policy issues facing Connecticut is now online. Several questions relate to healthcare. Inform your vote by checking out your candidates’ answers. Health questions for candidates: What should Connecticut do to re-tool our public health for COVID-19 and the possibility of future pandemics, while also addressing other chronic…
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 MoreCT Mirror: The state should lower healthcare costs without risking our health
Opinion from Kathy Flaherty: As Executive Director of the CT Legal Rights Project, an advocate for people with disabilities, and someone who identifies as disabled, I take issue with “Flaws in CT’s healthcare system must be identified to be corrected” describing the Office of Health Strategy’s (OHS) plan to limit healthcare cost increases. . .…
Read MoreNational survey of healthcare executives finds population-based/capitated payment models are rare and aren’t growing
The latest survey of 500 US healthcare executives by the Numeroff & Associates finds that only 10% of revenue is at financial risk and that rate has not changed in the last three years. In previous surveys executives predicted that they would have a much larger share of revenue at financial risk by now. Just…
Read MoreCost cap committee excludes patients’ provider choices from primary care spending increase
On Thursday, the main committee convened by the Office of Health Strategy (OHS) met to continue their work to set a cap on how much healthcare costs can increase and, at the same time, double spending on primary care. At the meeting they codified a narrow definition of primary care provider for purposes of calculating…
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