research
RAND report predicts reform will save CT state government 10% on health care spending
A new economic modeling analysis by RAND for the Council of State Governments estimates that 170,000 more CT residents will gain coverage by 2016 under health reform bringing our uninsured rate from 11% to 5%. The report also predicts that slightly more employers will offer coverage; employers will remain the largest source of coverage for…
Read MoreGeek alert: New report on geographic variation in Medicare spending
Huge variations in health care spending per person between different regions of the US have generated a lot of interest in the last year or two. The variations cannot be explained by the incidence of disease, demographics, or even prices. You won’t be surprised to hear that CT is a very expensive state. There is…
Read MoreNew report on states and quality-based purchasing
Health care consumes 17% of America’s economy and, sometime this year, government’s share of that spending will pass 50%. A consensus is growing that the way we pay for health care is driving costs. The current fee-for-service system encourages utilization and does nothing to improve quality. States have important and unique roles in the health…
Read MoreCT a leader in children’s oral health
Some good news for a change – CT is recognized as a national leader in getting dental care to children in a new report by the Pew Center for the States. The proportion of children on Medicaid receiving dental care has been rising since 2005 up to 41.4%. It’s true that is low, well below…
Read MoreMy favorite end of the year list
Time’s Top Ten Scientific Discoveries of 2009 includes epigenetics, water on the moon, and gene therapy curing color blindness. Some days I miss my old job, but then I learned from the list that robots can do science now. Happy New Year. Ellen Andrews
Read MoreNew report estimates 28,100 new uninsured in CT this year
Based on rising unemployment rates, a new study by Families USA estimates that 28,100 more CT residents are uninsured this year than last. Unemployment in CT as of Aug. 1st was 8.1%, up from 6.1% last August. This places CT 40th in the nation in rates of uninsured; in 2008 we were 45th according to…
Read MoreUninsured up 17,000 in CT last year
The new Census figures on health insurance released today show that CT’s uninsured rate was up to 10% last year. 343,000 state residents were without insurance, including 44,000 children. The really stunning finding is that private employer-based coverage was down by 107,000. Thankfully government coverage picked up more people, about evenly split between Medicaid and…
Read MoreDoes expanding health insurance improve health?
An article in today’s Wall Street Journal addresses a question that doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Health reform debates too often miss the real point – we want to improve the health of people. A plastic health insurance card does not guarantee access to care, much less improved health – ask anyone on Medicaid/HUSKY/Charter…
Read MoreHow scientists think
Kary Mullis won a Nobel prize for figuring out how to make multiple copies of short pieces of DNA. While that doesn’t sound revolutionary, his polymerase chain reaction (PCR) forms the cornerstone of current and future genetic innovations including genetic testing and sequencing the human genome. His latest great idea came to him after watching…
Read MoreCT Health Facts updated
21% of CT residents are enrolled in a managed care plan. CT’s per person health care spending is 20% higher than the US average. One in six CT high school students smokes. Find these and more in our updated CT Health Facts. The list was updated by Selina Tirtajana, a CTHPP 2009 Summer intern.
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