Smart Savings
State budget deal restores coverage for 4,000 HUSKY parents, a move toward quality-based payments, and insurance protections
Policymakers have reached a $43 billion state budget deal to cover the next two fiscal years, on-time before the end of the session. For health policy folks, there is a lot to like in the deal but a few notes of caution. The best part is a partial restoration of HUSKY parents’ eligibility cuts from…
Read MorePublic option gone but good pieces remain
Negotiations over a public health insurance option in CT have broken down but other good parts of the deal remain. Reportedly, there is a budget agreement to restore HUSKY eligibility for some of the 11,000 working parents cut in 2016. DSS reports found that the large majority of the low-income parents cut from HUSKY were…
Read MoreCTNJ: Better Public Option Bill Looks to Bigger Picture
Rising health insurance costs are crushing Connecticut families and small businesses. From 2008 to 2014 deductibles in our state rose 67% for families and 50% for small businesses. The Connecticut Option, Democrats’ newest public health insurance option bill, not only improves feasibility of the concept but also begins to address the foundations of rising health…
Read MoreCT needs to step up public health to keep people out of medical care
Connecticut ranks 29th among states in per person funding from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the Trust for America’s Health. Connecticut spent only $29 per person on public health in 2017, down from $31 in 2014. That would be fine if the risks to the public’s health were also decreasing,…
Read MoreComment open on leading healthcare value pricing methodology
The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) is seeking public input on their methodology to their development of benchmark prices for tests, treatments, drugs and innovations based on their value. ICER, an independent non-profit research institute, is the key source for value-based assessments. Their reports are used by the VA, Medicare, Medicaid, commercial plans…
Read MoreBetter, safer ideas to support primary care in Connecticut
Download the report Primary care is the foundation of the health system. It is, or should be, patients’ first interaction with the healthcare system for non-urgent issues. There is strong evidence that care coordination linked to primary care practices, such as patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs), foster improved health while lowering costs.[i] Areas with more primary…
Read MoreMedicaid’s Care Management program is saving lives and money, but state paying twice and savings may be going to PCMH+ ACOs
Last week, the Complex Care Committee of the Medicaid oversight council heard from CHNCT, the nonprofit that, among other things, administers our state’s Intensive Care Management (ICM) program. ICM is available to Medicaid members with complex health needs and, typically, high health costs. The ICM program includes regional teams providing comprehensive assessment and care planning,…
Read MoreInsurance Committee to hear prescription cost control bill tomorrow – it’s a good start
Raised bill No. 7174 includes some important provisions that would help moderate drug prices and limit increases. The CT Health Policy Project supports them all but urges the Committee to go farther. Drug costs in Connecticut are out of control. We can’t wait for federal action. An array of substantial, bold measures at the state…
Read MoreGovernor’s first budget proposal has plenty of good news, with a bit of wait-and-see news, and a bit of bad news
The Lamont administration released their first budget today. In healthcare, it is mostly good news, but also some we’ll wait-and-see, and a bit of bad news. The good news: There are no cuts to HUSKY parents eligibility, no cuts to Medicaid Savings Program (mostly), and no plans to return to private insurers managed care. Let’s…
Read MoreSeven years later, Connecticut Medicaid still saving taxpayers money
Download the report As with most health care in Connecticut, Medicaid spending was rising quickly before 2012 growing by almost half over the prior four years. But in 2012, Connecticut made a remarkable and unique move — Medicaid switched from a capitated payment model using private insurers to a care coordination-focused, self-insured payment model. Since…
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