Health Reform
Opportunity to inform CT community public health priorities
The State Health Improvement Coalition is seeking community members from Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest Connecticut for input on prioritizing the most pressing public health needs for our state. Every five years, DPH creates a new plan to improve the health of our state in a model of inclusive, data-driven policymaking. The latest version will be…
Read MoreCT hospitals would fare better than most if all payers used Medicare payment rates
A new study published in Health Affairs finds that if commercial payment rates were set at fee-for-service Medicare levels in 2017, US hospital revenue (inpatient and outpatient) would drop by 35%. Interestingly, also raising Medicaid rates to Medicare levels does little to mitigate that, changing the revenue loss to 30%. However, the authors note that…
Read MoreShare your ideas to support Connecticut health care coordination, access, and quality
The state is rushing to implement an expensive Health Information Exchange to access $48 million before a federal deadline. The state Office of Health Strategy (OHS) is moving forward very quickly despite concerns raised by consumers and providers about selling access to identifiable patient records to insurers and ACOs, privacy rights, the capacity of the…
Read MoreACA turns ten in troubled times
Ten years ago today, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act. While the nation is now reeling from a terrible pandemic, imagine if 17 million more Americans didn’t have healthcare coverage, insurers could still drop people with pre-existing conditions, and charge women and cancer survivors more. While it was important, the ACA was never meant…
Read MoreLessons from SIM: Advice from Independent Advocates
Download the full responses here Connecticut’s latest attempt to reform our health system, SIM, ended last month. Despite $45 million in federal dollars, SIM didn’t accomplish much. It was mired in controversy and criticism from across the state’s healthcare landscape. SIM followed several past failed attempts to reform Connecticut’s health system. We asked independent consumer…
Read MoreCongressional move to rein in innovations that harm people, Connecticut advocates’ SIM concerns addressed in DC
A new bill in Congress, proposed by both Democrats and Republicans, would place controls on federal grants for payment and delivery reform projects. The Strengthening Innovation in Medicare and Medicaid Act was introduced last week to “increase transparency and accountability within the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI)”. CMMI is the federal agency…
Read MoreFive healthcare issues to follow in 2020
What Connecticut can do in an election year, with a tight budget, in an unsettled economy, and Washington in gridlock Download the details ACOs and provider financial risk Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) are large and growing systems that touch every aspect of healthcare. They make money by reducing their patients’ care costs. Unlike insurers, ACOs…
Read MoreSurvey finds CT ACOs planning services for high need members
Similar to national results, a new survey of Connecticut Accountable Care Organizations for MAPOC’s Complex Care Committee by the CT Health Policy Project finds that most are using multiple methods to identify high need members. But they are still working on implementing effective programs to address the needs. Many of their plans follow best practices…
Read MoreCTNJ Analysis: When Making Things Better Makes Things Worse: Algorithms, Data and Racial Bias
Unintended consequences are old news; so why are we surprised every time it happens? Computer programs developed to target care management services to people with serious complex conditions were meant to make important health decisions based on data but instead favored White patients over sicker Black patients. Read more
Read MoreBipartisan Insurance Committee forum finds a lot of consensus on potential reforms
Download the CTHPP presentation Yesterday the Chairs and Ranking Members of the Insurance Committee convened a forum on potential reforms to lower healthcare costs. Legislators invited David Seltz from the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission. Connecticut speakers included representatives from the insurance industry, providers, state officials, a foundation and advocates. A recurring theme was the need…
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