providers
One in three CT residents reported anxiety or depressive symptoms in June
Since the pandemic started, more people are reporting symptoms of mental illness. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 19% of Connecticut residents are experiencing mental illness and 36.6% report depressive or anxiety symptoms last month. Connecticut adolescents are twice as likely to report a major depressive episode as adults but adults are three times more…
Read MoreFact Check: Are primary care doctors underpaid?
Download the Fact Check A statement was made in a recent Connecticut state public meeting that primary care physicians are paid less than specialists. The statement was made a recent Technical Team meeting for the Office of Health Strategy’s cost cap project considering a substantial increase in spending on primary care. The facts, however, are…
Read MoreUnique hospital ranking includes community and value of care with traditional quality metrics
The Lown Institute now ranks hospitals on 53 metrics that impact both individuals and communities. Typical hospital rankings consider only care for individual patients, not how hospitals serve their communities. Backus does best among 26 Connecticut hospitals at 84th of 3,282 US hospitals; Greenwich ranks lowest in the state and 2,635th in the nation. There…
Read MoreCost cap project sets limits on healthcare spending without public input, ignoring pandemic impact
In meetings of the committee setting limits on healthcare spending for all Connecticut residents, it appears the advocates’ sign on letter and detailed concerns about the Office of Health Strategy’s (OHS’s) Cost Cap project were not heard. The plan is being developed by a Technical Advisory Team, with members chosen only by OHS, including some…
Read MoreSurprisingly, Medicaid applications are down sharply with the pandemic
At Friday’s MAPOC meeting, DSS reported that HUSKY applications were down 40% in May from a year before. This was unexpected given massive increases in unemployment and predictions of over 100,000 new Connecticut Medicaid members because of the pandemic. In January, February and March, applications ran 15% to 20% higher than last year. But a…
Read MoreFact Check: Do lower Medicaid provider payment rates cause higher commercial payment rates?
Download this Fact Check There’s a pervasive myth that lower Medicaid provider payment rates force providers to charge private insurers more to cover costs, but there is no evidence of that. On a simple level it makes some sense, but the truth is that providers, like most businesses, charge what they can, regardless of what…
Read MoreHelp for CT’s uninsured
With the recent spike in unemployment, many more Connecticut residents will be joining the thousands that were uninsured pre-COVID looking for healthcare coverage. The state has some new options to help. Check AccessHealthCT. You may be surprised to find that you qualify for HUSKY which is comprehensive, free, and includes most Connecticut providers. You may…
Read MoreAdvocates, providers send Governor, legislators letter about cost cap impact and unintended consequences
Yesterday, twenty advocates and providers sent letters to the Governor and legislative leaders objecting to the rush to develop a cap on healthcare cost increases during a pandemic, and to use the time to incorporate input from diverse stakeholders and for thoughtful design with a broad group chosen democratically. “This controversial proposal, if rushed ahead…
Read MoreCT Medical Society signs on with state HIE that plans to sell medical records
The state’s controversial HIE signed up its first participating provider network. Thursday the Office of Health Strategy (OHS) announced that CT Health Link, run by the CT State Medical Society (CSMS), will “immediately begin the technical connections necessary” to allow access into their system. Advocates have been concerned about OHS’s plans to sell access to…
Read MoreCT hospitals would fare better than most if all payers used Medicare payment rates
A new study published in Health Affairs finds that if commercial payment rates were set at fee-for-service Medicare levels in 2017, US hospital revenue (inpatient and outpatient) would drop by 35%. Interestingly, also raising Medicaid rates to Medicare levels does little to mitigate that, changing the revenue loss to 30%. However, the authors note that…
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