healthcare markets
Insurance committee to hear bill to mitigate consolidation and lower healthcare costs
Download our testimony One of the main drivers of Connecticut’s rising healthcare costs is consolidation in the healthcare market, making health coverage increasingly unaffordable for consumers, employers, and businesses. Next Thursday, March 14th, the insurance committee will hold a public hearing on SB-416, An Act Promoting Competition in Contracts Between Health Carriers and Health Care…
Read MoreNew tool finds all CT health systems’ commercial prices are far higher than needed to cover expenses
According to a new tool, Connecticut hospitals would have needed commercial rates equal to 135% of Medicare levels in 2020 to cover their expenses, much higher than the US average of 114%. However, every health system in Connecticut charged well above that level, far more than needed to cover expenses. The National Academy for State…
Read MoreTestimony supporting Governor’s drug price cap and opposing OHS primary care plan
The Insurance and Real Estate Committee is hearing today the Governor’s healthcare bills. Areas of disagreement include a proposal to limit how much drug prices can rise and the Office of Health Strategy’s (OHS) plans to cap the growth of overall healthcare spending while doubling spending on primary care. Among non-state agencies, fifteen people and…
Read MoreCTNJ op-ed: Class action against Hartford Healthcare changes the landscape
A new lawsuit filed last week alleges that Hartford Healthcare is manipulating the healthcare market to drive out competition and raise prices for their services, despite their lower quality. The class action suit, brought by six brave Connecticut residents, highlights the harm done to all of us. Ultimately, consumers pay all the bills through our…
Read More25 Advocacy organizations urge legislative leaders to drop OHS Primary Care Roadmap
Download the letter On Tuesday, twenty-five independent advocacy organizations, including the CT Health Policy Project, sent a letter to Connecticut legislative leaders voicing concerns with the Office of Health Strategy’s (OHS’s) controversial “Roadmap for Strengthening and Sustaining Primary Care”. Advocates are concerned that the Roadmap diverts $3.9 billion/year when fully implemented in 2025 away from…
Read MoreCTNJ op-ed: Governor’s plan to lower healthcare costs — what’s in and what’s missing
It’s an election year and voters want relief with healthcare costs and insurance premiums. Governor Lamont has proposed a slate of bills to address the problem. He has a good proposal to limit drug price increases, an unnecessary proposal to draft yet another report on what’s driving up costs, and a bad one to divert…
Read MoreCTNJ Op-ED: How much do CT hospitals spend on administration? No one knows
There’s a growing consensus that hospital prices are the main driver of rising healthcare costs and insurance premiums in Connecticut. The research lays the blame on consolidation in the market. Read more
Read MoreAnalysis: CT hospital finances during COVID’s first year
Download the report Download the extracted data In 2020, Connecticut hospitals’ revenues exceeded expenses by 2.61% or $325 million. Hospitals averaged 1.9% of expenses in uncompensated care, less than the US average. Top hospital executives averaged $2.6 million in total compensation. Hospitals paid $1.3 billion in fees to corporate parent health systems. Large health systems…
Read MorePolicy options to control healthcare prices and protect from private equity
Healthcare service prices are the main driver of Connecticut’s rising health insurance premiums. The consolidation of hospitals and providers into large health systems has stifled competition, allowing prices to rise unchecked. Other states have taken action to protect competition in consolidated markets and it’s working. Connecticut needs to act. Private equity funds are buying critical…
Read MoreCTNJ OP-ED | Connecticut’s Healthcare Market Regulation is Broken
Connecticut’s healthcare markets are consolidating at a serious clip and it’s endangering access to care and driving up healthcare prices that make care unaffordable. Unfortunately, the state agency that is supposed to keep Connecticut’s healthcare market competitive isn’t acting. They have the tools – Connecticut has among the most protective laws in the nation. But…
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