healthcare markets
New England health policymakers meet to consider the future of hospitals
Last weekend NESCSO, the Millbank Fund and the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services convened a group of twenty-two state executive and legislative branch health policymakers in Portsmouth, NH to consider the future of hospitals in the region. All six New England states were represented. Hospital roles are evolving quickly with national and…
Read MoreGAO reports find individual insurance markets concentrated in most states in 2014, but largest in CT losing market share
Recent news about insurers leaving AccessHealthCT, CT’s health insurance exchange, have raised concerns about lowering competition and rising prices for health insurance. CT is not alone. Prior to 2014 health insurance markets in most states were highly concentrated, according to the US General Accounting Office. However, the largest individual coverage insurer in CT, Anthem/Wellpoint, has…
Read MoreOHCA hears more from community about harm from YNHH-L&M deal
Tuesday OHCA got another earful from community members, providers and experts as they continued the public hearing on Yale-New Haven’s application to acquire L&M hospital and medical group. Intervenors, including the CT Health Policy Project, continued our testimony about likely price increases and loss of services in the New London community if the deal is…
Read MoreCommunity voices fears about proposed YNHH acquisition of L&M
OHCA’s public hearing about Yale-New Haven Health System’s plans to buy Lawrence & Memorial Monday in New London ran over 6 hours and had to be continued to later this month to finish. Public comment was split between those favoring the deal and others with concerns. A coalition of community groups, labor and consumer advocates,…
Read MoreCT insurance exchange premiums high, but growing slower than national and regional averages
A new analysis by the Urban Institute finds that insurance exchange premiums for the lowest-cost Silver plan in CT averaged 0.7% growth annually over the last two years. This is well below growth at the national and regional averages of 5.5% and 4.2% respectively. While they aren’t rising as quickly, CT premiums started out much…
Read MorePrivate employer costs higher in New England, but health costs are less of the total
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, New England employers paid the highest total compensation per worker in December 2015 averaging $38.14/hour, well above the US average of $31.70. Health insurance and other benefit costs were also high in New England but not as a percent of total compensation. At $2.93/hour health insurance was…
Read MoreApril Health Affairs features CT state employee VBID plan results
An evaluation of CT’s state employee Health Enhancement Program (HEP) published in Health Affairs found improved access to primary care, reductions in ED use, but has not produced savings. HEP is an early adopter of the Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) model, linking consumer costs to the value of care. Implemented in 2011, HEP encourages preventive…
Read MoreCON taskforce members appointed
Governor Malloy has announced the appointmentsto the Certificate of Need Taskforce. The taskforce was created in a February Executive Order halting mergers and takeovers of large hospital systems for one year to allow a review of CON rules and process. Consolidation in Connecticut’s hospital market has raisedsignificant concerns about the lack of competition, rising prices…
Read MoreCT remains costly for Long Term Services and Supports while demand grows
A new survey by Genworth Financial finds that costs for Long Term Services and Support in Connecticut are among the highest in the nation, and rising. At $146,000 for a semi-private room and $158,775 for a private room, median annual costs of nursing home care were more expensive in Connecticut last year than any other…
Read MoreSurvey of CT ACOs – early yet, good intentions but uncertain future
Together with the Hartford Business Journal, the CT Health Policy Project conducted the first survey of CT ACOs finding some unexpected findings. ACOs are networks of providers across the continuum that coordinate high-quality care for people and receive a share of the savings they generate. ACOs are a foundation for efforts to reform health care…
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