healthcare costs
Analysis: Bristol Hospital VP Says Unfair Practices Are Leading to a Nurse Shortage For Independent Hospitals
Healthcare is expensive in Connecticut. The shortage of nurses is a prime driver of those rising costs. Nursing is hard and dangerous work. While the state is working to lower healthcare costs across Connecticut, another state entity is driving up private nursing costs. Read more
Read MoreAnalysis: CT State Employee Health Plan Tied for Richest in US
Last year, Connecticut’s health plan for current state employees and their dependents covered 98% of the costs of that care, according to a new report by Georgetown’s Center on Health Insurance Reform. We are tied with Vermont for the richest state employee plan in the nation. Connecticut’s plan for state employees and dependents would qualify…
Read MoreAnalysis: Limiting the Metrics We Use to Track Healthcare is Cheating
The quality of healthcare in Connecticut is average at best. There is a strong consensus that provider payments should be contingent on performance and quality measures, called value-based payment, or VBP. But the consensus ends there. Read more
Read MorePlans for CT opioid settlement far better than our tobacco history
Connecticut is using our $300 million settlement from opioid lawsuits far better than we did with the 1998 tobacco settlement and similarly to our surrounding states, according to a cross-state analysis of opioid settlement details from Vital Strategies. The report gives details on the uses of the funds, who decides, public reporting requirements, and a…
Read MoreAnalysis: Connecticut is doing something about healthcare costs, finally
I’ve long been a critic of our state’s inaction on controlling healthcare costs, but I may have to eat my words. On Wednesday, Connecticut policymakers took a big step toward controlling the two biggest drivers of rising healthcare costs – hospital and prescription drug prices. Read more
Read MoreState Health Compare finds CT access to care is good but costly
Connecticut residents have very good access to healthcare, but care is unaffordable for too many. 93% of CT residents have a usual source of care According to updated health metrics, in 2020-2021, Connecticut ranked third best among states in the percent of residents with a usual source of care. Having a usual source of care…
Read MoreOp-Ed: This Is Why CT Can’t Lower Healthcare Costs
After years of deliberation, Connecticut’s state plan to cap healthcare costs has finally identified the drivers of those costs in our state. But the Steering Committee, dominated by healthcare industries, still isn’t brave enough hold the overspenders accountable. They want the profitable industries to come up with ideas to lower their own costs (what could…
Read MoreGood-ish news: CT is 13th best state for nurses to work in
Wallet Hub finds that Connecticut is a pretty good state for nurses to work. But the researchers found a big difference between Opportunity and Competition for nurses – Connecticut was 34th – and Work Environment – Connecticut was 4th among states. Opportunity and Competition includes ten measures such as salary, demand for nurses, quality of…
Read MoreOHS seeks community input on YNHH purchase of three more hospitals
The Yale-New Haven health system has applied for permission from the state to buy Waterbury, Manchester Memorial, and Rockville General hospitals. The state Office of Health Strategy is seeking community input through a short survey about how this deal could impact healthcare services and costs. These three hospitals are currently owned by Prospect Medical Holdings,…
Read MoreAnalysis: How Brain Shortcuts Undermine Policymaking
Thinking is hard work. Adult brains are only 2% of our body weight, but they use 20% of our body’s energy. To handle the load, we have evolved hard-wired shortcuts called cognitive biases that sometimes backfire. Public policymaking is not immune – it’s riddled with biases that are driving poor decisions. Read more
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