hospitals
CTNJ: OP-ED | Legislators Hear How RI Saved 2 Hospitals From Private Equity, Other Solutions to High Insurance Premiums
On Friday, in a forum sponsored by state Rep. Kerry Wood, six national and local experts gave legislators specific policy tools to help with health care market consolidation and rising drug prices that are driving up health insurance premiums. Legislators also got specific tools used by Rhode Island to avoid private equity abuses experienced in…
Read MoreCTNJ: CT needs to focus on real health reform
Connecticut insurance premiums were the sixth highest among states for both individual and family coverage in 2019. Making healthcare more affordable was the drumbeat from voters last year. But CT policymakers have responded with weak options that kick the can down the road. Controlling the drivers of health costs is advanced placement politics. Powerful industries…
Read MoreANALYSIS | Who In Health Care Made Money on COVID?
Many COVID heroes who put their lives at risk or died caring for others. We all owe healthcare providers, scientists, public health professionals, and other frontline workers a huge debt of gratitude. But the healthcare industries did just fine. Four of the ten companies that profited most during the pandemic are in healthcare. Read more
Read MoreNPR’s Frontline features Waterbury Hospital and private equity impact on hospitals
The latest NPR/Frontline investigation focuses on very unequal resources at US hospitals due to market forces and unequal government support. The second half of the documentary focuses on the impact of private equity buying safety net hospitals, which has doubled in the last decade. An expert describes how private equity firms purchase under-valued hospitals, cut…
Read MorePublic comment opposing sales of medical records to fund HIE
Read the full comments and the March 2020 letter from 22 advocates with concerns Today the CT Health Policy Project submitted public comment opposing the Office of Health Strategy’s medical record privacy policy proposals. Specifically advocates oppose selling access to Connecticut residents’ medical records through paid subscriptions. In addition to the harm to individuals, this…
Read MoreCT hospitals rank 15th among states in avoiding low value care, worst in New England
Every 80 seconds a US hospital provides a low value test or procedures to an older adult, putting hundreds of thousands of people’s health at risk, according to the latest Lown Institute Hospitals Index. Only one hospital from US News’ honor roll was in this top 100 for avoiding inappropriate tests and procedures. Hospital scores…
Read MoreCT hospital quality improves in new CMS star ratings
Download the report Connecticut hospitals improved their overall quality performance this year, according to Medicare.gov Compare’s 2021 update. Connecticut hospitals averaged 3.0 stars out of five last year, moving to 3.5 in this year’s ranking. While 3.5 stars is still too low, especially given the cost of healthcare in Connecticut, things are moving in a…
Read MoreConnecticut healthcare employment COVID recovery stalls out
Download the report Like other Connecticut workers, healthcare employment was hit hard by the pandemic in March 2020, according to data from the CT Department of Labor. While the pandemic sharply increased demand in a few healthcare sectors to care for COVID patients, other sectors declined as people and providers delayed non-COVID care. That began…
Read MoreCost Cap finds hospital system costs driving healthcare spending, but we knew that
Download the report In a surprise to no one, the first analysis by the Cost Cap project finds that inpatient and outpatient hospital services are a main driver of rising healthcare spending in Connecticut. Hospital and drug costs have been identified in multiple studies as the main drivers of rising health costs in our state.…
Read MoreCTNJ: If The COVID Vaccine Is Free For Patients, Who Is Paying For It?
Federal law ensures the COVID vaccine will be provided to every American at no cost. So who is paying for it? Because it’s healthcare, the answer is complicated and we are all paying for it – mostly through taxes and a bit through our insurance premiums. Read more
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