quality
Connecticut 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 MoreCT ranks 5th among states in Medicaid coverage, 2nd in quality
COVID has emphasized the importance of a strong, healthy Medicaid program for states. A new analysis by WalletHub ranks Connecticut fifth among states in 2021 Medicaid coverage. Rather than just using the percentage of state residents with Medicaid coverage, the ranking included quality, spending, as well as eligibility and enrollment. We ranked 2nd in quality…
Read MoreCT life expectancy good news
Connecticut residents can expect to live 1.3 years longer than other Americans, according to a new CDC analysis. Based on age-specific death rates in 2018, well before the pandemic, Connecticut residents lived longer than all but four other states, Hawaii (#1), California, New York, and Minnesota. Connecticut also ranked 5th in life expectancy at birth…
Read MoreCTNJ: Real Conversation Would Beget Lower Health Care Costs
I recently had an interesting conversation with a lobbyist for the insurance industry. We planned to talk about our narrow legislative issues to find any common ground. Predictably, we disagreed on some key points, but we agreed on a lot more. We agreed that it’s hard to get people across the health care system onto…
Read MoreCT 4th best among states in dental health
An analysis by WalletHub finds that the dental health of Connecticut residents is better than all but three other states (Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota) and the District of Columbia. We rank third on oral health but tenth on dental habits and care, which is confusing but far better than the converse. The analysis compared states…
Read MoreBook Club — Counting: How We Use Numbers to Decide What Matters
I’ve never dog-eared as many pages in a book as Counting: How We Use Numbers to Decide What Matters by Deborah Stone. It’s very trendy to be “data-driven” and assert that “science matters” but what gets counted and how it’s defined make all the difference. Numbers and statistics are nice, but only if they represent…
Read MoreGovernor’s budget includes drug cost control and exchange subsidies, but misses other health priorities
Released today, the Governor’s budget proposal for the next two fiscal years acknowledges the importance of addressing critical health priorities, especially during a pandemic. The document highlights the state’s public health challenges of funding and implementing COVID testing, treatment, and vaccination all while facing a severe economic slowdown, high unemployment, and increased demand for social…
Read MoreCTNJ: OP-ED | State Should Set Uniform, Public Standards For Rationing Health Care
Disparities in healthcare are not new in our state, but the pandemic has intensified the unfairness. The aged, people with disabilities, and communities of color have been especially hard hit by the virus and the recession. Unfortunately, a striking example of that increased unfairness is reflected in Connecticut hospitals’ policies for rationing scarce resources during…
Read MoreMore physicians joining large health systems across CT
From 2016 to 2018, the number of Connecticut physicians affiliated with large health systems grew in every area of the state, according to a new analysis in Health Affairs. Nationally the percent of physicians in large health systems rose by 11%, and the rate grew in 92% of US metro areas. Growth was fastest in…
Read MoreCT got fewer vaccines than other states, but did far better at getting people vaccinated
Download the report here Policymakers and experts have expressed disappointment at the slow rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines. While the vaccines were developed and manufactured at record speeds, getting Americans vaccinated has been slower than expected. The Secretary of Human Services expected to have 20 million Americans vaccinated by the end of 2020. But as…
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