Smart Savings
Medicaid coverage for children linked to higher tax receipts by age 28
A new studyfinds that in addition to improved health and lower mortality, children who were covered by past Medicaid expansions paid more taxes by age 28. The longer they were eligible for Medicaid, the higher the tax receipts. They also had lower Earned Income Tax payments and were more likely to attend college. Interestingly, the…
Read MoreMedicaid quality up, costs stable since switch to ASO
We got lots of good news at today’s Medicaid Council meeting. New financial reports show that since October of 2013 HUSKY enrollment has grown 20% but spending has grown only 13.6%. Per person spending on HUSKY Part D, which includes the former SAGA members and the newly eligible childless adults from the ACA, has actually…
Read MoreComparative effectiveness opportunity guide for New England OB-Gyn services
The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) has produced a comprehensive analysisof opportunities to reduce overtreatment from the Choosing Wisely list of five overused treatments identified by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. ICER’s report focuses on New England including analysis of current regional utilization patterns, the feasibility of practice change, resources for…
Read MoreDense breast tissue screening consumer guide available
I don’t believe CEPAC has addressed as sensitive an issue as supplemental screening for dense breast tissue. We heard very moving public testimony from survivors and advocates at the December meeting. About half of women have dense breast tissue and face the questions of determining their risks, whether to have supplemental screening, and if so,…
Read MoreCT’s Medicaid success: Access and quality are up, costs are down
Since 2012, when CT’s Medicaid program shifted from a capitated payment model to a self-insured model based on care coordination, the program has enjoyed significant improvements in quality, access and cost control, as predicted. A new analysis finds that the number of providers participating the in the program is up 32%, person-centered medical homes are up…
Read MoreUpdated website and expanded reach for comparative effectiveness org – ICER
The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review has a new website with decision aids for consumers and doctors, comparative value analyses of new treatments, and regional roundtables to translate that research into policy. Adding the CA Technology Assessment Forum to their CEPAC work in New England allows millions more people to benefit.
Read MoreCEPAC meeting on dense breast tissue screening
This month’s CEPACmeeting focused on that status of comparative effectiveness research on supplemental cancer screening for women with dense breast tissue. 40% of women have dense tissue, both raising the risk of cancer and the chances that a lump will be masked on a routine mammogram. CT is the only state that both requires notification…
Read MoreMedicaid performance dashboard unveiled; marked improvement with switch from HUSKY HMOs
At Friday’s Medicaid Council meeting, DSS described their new ASO accountability dashboard with performance measures for the program. From January 2012, when the HMOs left the program, to this June the number of providers participating in CT’s program has grown 32%, hospital admissions are down 3.2%, the average length of stay is down 5%,…
Read MoreCT Health Policy Roundtable: CT’s APCD
Join national and state experts for a Roundtable to learn more about the potential for Connecticut’s new All-Payer Claims Database in health care planning, improving health care quality, capacity and promoting health equity. The Roundtable is sponsored by the CT Health Policy Project, the CT Center for Patient Safety and Access Health Analytics and made…
Read MoreJune CT Health Policy Webquiz: CT’s All Payer Claims Database
Test your knowledge of All Payer Claims Databases and what one could mean for Connecticut. Take the June CT Health Policy Webquiz.
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