insurance
Why an individual mandate won’t work in CT
A new paper by the CT Health Policy Project outlines why an individual mandate, a law requiring every state resident to purchase health coverage won’t work. (For the shorter issue brief, click here.) Mandates are no guarantee of compliance; CT requires drivers to have auto insurance but 12% of drivers are uninsured. Unreimbursed care for…
Read MoreCT health plan comparisons
US News and World Reports has published their annual national comparison of HMOs. CT has two commercial HMOs listed in the top 20 “Honor Roll” – Health New England (#6) and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield (#7). Health New England is not listed as a managed care organization on the CT Insurance Dept.’s website. A…
Read MoreNew law allows children to stay on their parents’ policies until age 26, but there’s a catch
A new law takes effect January 1, 2009 that allows children to stay on their parent’s health policies to age 26. As young adults are at highest risk of being uninsured, this will be an important option to reduce CT’s uninsured. Previously, children were only covered on their parent’s policies until age 19 or 23…
Read MoreReport: CT family premiums rising 8.2X faster than earnings
A new report by Families USA finds that from 2000 to 2007, family health insurance premiums in CT rose from $7,292 to $13,173 (80.7%) while CT family median earnings rose only 9.9%. Employees’ share of premiums rose even more – 10.5 times faster than earnings. Individual coverage grew by 52.8% during those years, and employees’…
Read MoreSinking or Swimming in the High-Risk Pool?
On the front page of the New York Times this morning, I saw an article that highlights a problem with proposals to model a new component of national healthcare coverage on states’ high-risk pools. Earlier this year, I had been looking at the Connecticut High-Risk Pool (created by the Connecticut Health Care Act of 1975).…
Read MoreCOBRA calls to Consumer Network Helpline
In the past three weeks, the Consumer Health Action Network (888-873-4585) has received a number of calls about COBRA. COBRA (which stands for the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) is the federal law that allows workers and their dependents to continue group health coverage at their own expense after employer coverage ends because of termination,…
Read MoreState taking applications for Charter Oak
This morning at the Town Line Diner in Rocky Hill, the state began signing up consumers for the Charter Oak Plan. The Governor held a press conference at the diner announcing the opening of the plan and two consumers filled out applications. New information includes premiums which vary between $75 and $279/month and an annual…
Read MoreHUSKY, Charter Oak and other session updates
The General Assembly acted on very few health proposals this year. Some things that did pass: HB 5536 — Rep. Donovan’s bill to allow municipalities and small business to buy directly into the state employee plan pool – the Courant says “Rell’s signature is iffy”. Even if she does approve it, the plan may not…
Read MoreCT family premiums grew by 21% from 2001 to 2005; median income grew by 2.4%
A new report explains why CT families are feeling like they are moving backward. “Squeezed: How Costs for Insuring Families are Outpacing Income” by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found while the percent of premium that CT families pay dropped slightly from 2001 to 2005, total average family premium payments increased 6.4%. In more bad…
Read MoreCA to review thousands of insurance policy cancellations after consumers get sick, New CT law prohibits this practice
The LA Times reports that the CA Dept. of Managed Health Care will be reviewing thousands of cancelled individual policies looking for cases where coverage was cancelled after patients have become ill, despite paying premiums for years. The insurers cancel policies citing errors by consumers on insurance applications, often completed years earlier and often honest…
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