Health Reform
More updates to CT Healthcare Explained
We are continuing to update chapters in CT Healthcare Explained. This month we finished a complete overhaul of the Hospitals chapter. Last month we finished Consolidation and big health systems. Next is Quality. Connecticut’s healthcare system is deeply confusing. Too often people motivated to advocate for change find themselves frustrated and give up. To help…
Read MoreSix common myths about healthcare and three reasons why people believe them
Healthcare is complicated, people are easily confused, and there are powerful motivations to believe the many misconceptions. I was reminded of this at the last meeting of the industry-led group that is steering the state’s efforts to control healthcare costs. But the problem isn’t limited to industry representatives. Read more
Read MoreCT ranks best in the nation for the lowest prevalence of mental illness, but worse in access to care
Overall, Connecticut ranks second in the nation in mental health wellbeing, behind only Massachusetts, according to Mental Health America’s 2024 rankings. We benefit from having the lowest prevalence of mental illness in the nation. But still one in nine (11%) Connecticut youth and 4% of adults have serious thoughts of suicide. Connecticut has lots of…
Read MoreReport estimates CT will be short 5,700 healthcare providers by 2028, but far better than other states
Download the analysis A new report from Mercer estimates shortages, and surpluses, in critical health care provider categories in 2028 by state. There is wide variation between states in demand. In good news – Connecticut’s projected shortages are limited and fairly modest. New York, however, is in serious trouble. Across five critical categories, the researchers…
Read MoreHappy Birthday to us
The CT Health Policy Project turns 25 on September 1st. No party, but there will be cake. Anniversaries evoke memories — how far we’ve come and how much remains to be done. It’s striking how much of our 20th anniversary advice from friends, still stands. Nothing happens alone. Remembering the dozens of staff and hundreds…
Read MoreCT Mirror Opinion: Keep MCOs out of HUSKY health care
“In the past, managed care organizations were a disaster for Connecticut’s Medicaid program“ Former legislator, Medicaid provider, member of Medicaid’s state oversight council, and champion for member access to care who lived through the MCO years, Vickie Nardello says, “ I strongly disagree with Gov. Ned Lamont’s plan to bring managed care organizations (MCOs) back…
Read MoreAnalysis: Medicare’s drug price negotiation – Why it’s a big deal
For the first time, Medicare has negotiated prices with pharmaceutical companies. Prescription drug costs are a significant driver of rising healthcare costs in Connecticut, rising 7.7% from 2021 to 2022, more than any other category. Medicare covers one in five Connecticut residents, mainly seniors and people with disabilities, and is the biggest purchaser of drugs…
Read MoreHUSKY evaluation call is broad; Includes MCOs but is not biased
Updated August 15, 2024 with Questions and Answers to DSS Last month, DSS released their promised request for quotes (RFQ) from current contractors to evaluate Connecticut’s Medicaid program. (Questions from potential RFQ applicants and DSS’s answers are here.) The RFQ includes important broad priorities that are shared by advocates and other stakeholders, including an evidence basis…
Read MoreHUSKY parents’ cut expected to impact 15,300 starting in October
In this year’s budget, Connecticut policymakers cut Medicaid/HUSKY coverage for 15,300 low-income parents and caretakers of children. The timing of the cuts and options for other state coverage vary depending on each families’ circumstances. It’s all very confusing, both for HUSKY members and the rest of us. Thankfully, the CT Health Foundation has a new…
Read MoreBook Club: Random Acts of Medicine
Deliberately randomized experiments in medicine and health policy are usually not possible, or even moral. But with increasingly available data and random changes in circumstances, natural experiments can teach us a great deal about what works and what doesn’t. Random events have a huge impact on our health, more than we’d like to acknowledge. Random…
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