Health Reform
State reform updates
I’ve been staffing the annual meeting of the Council of State Governments/Eastern Regional Conference health policy track meetings in Atlantic City, NJ. Today we heard updates from states at varying stages of reforming their health care systems – Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Jersey. Sen. Joseph Vitale described New Jersey’s comprehensive plan to cover all…
Read MoreMr. Lembo goes to Washington
Yesterday State Health Care Advocate Kevin Lembo testified at a Congressional hearing on health insurance company abuses — post claims underwriting and policy rescissions. That’s when an insurance company cancels a policy after consumer has been paying premiums faithfully, sometimes for years, and they get sick. The company, when faced with mounting claims, looks back…
Read MoreGovernor vetoes pooling bill
Today Governor Rell vetoed HB-5536, An Act Establishing the Connecticut Healthcare Partnership. While she applauded the intent of the bill, to reduce health care costs for municipalities, nonprofits and small businesses by pooling them with state employees, she is concerned about potential costs to the state. She also cited legal problems with the bill, doubts…
Read MoreHouston to hire nurses as ER alternative for non-urgent care
In 2006 Harris County, which includes Houston, spent $50 million on emergency room care for patients with problems that could have been treated in a doctor’s office, according to the Houston Chronicle. The city wants to hire “tele-nurses” to work with 911 dispatchers offering first aid advice or help getting an appointment for care with…
Read MoreMassachusetts uninsured cut in half
The results are in. Massachusetts’ comprehensive health care reforms passed in 2006 have led the state’s rate of uninsurance to drop by almost half – from 13% in fall 2006 to 7% a year later. 355,000 more adults in Massachusetts now have affordable coverage– more than the entire uninsured population of Connecticut. The reform law,…
Read More“Sick Around the World” airs tonight
Tonight’s episode of Frontline, Sick Around the World, compares the universal health care systems of five capitalist countries – Germany, Japan, Taiwan, Switzerland and the UK – looking for ideas that could work in the US. Japanese consumers go to the doctor 3 times as often as we do, get more than twice as many…
Read MoreCommunity Catalyst at the HealthFirst Authority
Friday, Michael Miller of Massachusetts-based Community Catalyst presented to the Cost, Cost Containment & Finance Working Group of the HealthFirst Authority. His presentation focused on “cost containment strategies in other states.” He opened with, “Cost containment is not a useful framework.” He went on to say that if we were spending more than other countries…
Read MoreThree Charter Oak/HUSKY bids are in, Congressional investigation of United
Today DSS released the names of the managed care organizations (MCOs) that submitted bids for the HUSKY and Charter Oak plans to begin July 1st. They are Community Health Network, which currently participates in HUSKY, and two new MCOs – Aetna Better Health, a subsidiary of Schaller Anderson and Aetna, and AmeriChoice, a subsidiary of…
Read MoreNotes from Massachusetts
It’s always dangerous to visit other states – you are reminded of how far Connecticut has to go. I spent yesterday in Boxborough, MA at Health Care For All’s fifth annual policy & organizing conference. The prevailing climate was of advocates, providers and state administration very comfortable working together toward a common goal – getting…
Read MoreDonaghue Foundation Annual Conference
Beyond Eureka!, the Donaghue Foundation’s annual meeting/conference on translating health care research into practice, will be Wednesday April 23rd at the Hilton in Hartford from 8:30am to 3pm. Atul Gawande, author of two bestsellers and a MacArthur Genius Fellow, will give the keynote address. Other speakers include Harlan Krumholz of D2B: An Alliance for Quality,…
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