Smart Savings
Painless way to save $40 million in HUSKY
Our new policymaker issue brief outlines how moving HUSKY to self-insurance should save the state at least $40 million, without any changes in access to care. In 2008, under the PHIP/ASO model medical costs were actually lower than under HMO capitation the next year. Because the shift to self-insurance was sudden DSS was in a…
Read MoreThe final word – HUSKY ASO cost less than HMOs – or it should have
At Friday’s Medicaid Oversight Council meeting Mercer actuaries gave us the final comparison of the costs of the HUSKY program under the ASO/PHIP arrangement compared to the costs under capitated HMOs. We learned that in 2008 during the PHIP period, when the Governor removed any financial risk from the HMOs and the program ran as…
Read MoreFifteen ways to save money in CT’s health care budget
The next administration faces an unprecedented budget deficit. The good news is that CT has barely scratched the surface of policy opportunities that save money, many of which also improve health care. Taking guidance from other states and other payers, we have assembled 15 ideas potentially reaching hundreds of millions in savings. We include PCCM,…
Read MoreCheap solutions to big problems work better; small is the new big
In a hilarious TED talk, marketing expert Rory Sutherland points out the counter productive trend to throw big money at problems when, in fact, small changes are often more effective. The talk does touch on health care – at about four and half minutes into the video he describes a link between childhood immunizations and…
Read MoreGovernor’s budget proposal – lots of cuts and a plan to reform HUSKY HMOs
In her budget proposal released yesterday, the Governor proposed shifting the current HUSKY HMOs away from capitation back to a non-risk arrangement. For a few months in early 2008, the Governor ordered a similar switch from capitation to an Administrative Services Organization (ASO)-model, in which the HMOs administered the program for DSS but passed all…
Read MoreGovernor’s mitigation plan slashes health programs; 13 better alternatives offered
Yesterday the Governor released her plan to address the $470 million deficit for this fiscal year. This is on top of the cuts made in the budget that passed into law a few months ago. Her proposal includes cuts to the diaper bank, autism pilot, drugs in public coverage programs, new premiums and increases in…
Read MoreMedicaid Managed Care Council update
Today’s Medicaid Managed Care Council meeting touched on some new issues and revisited some old ones. There was a strong exchange on the Charter Oak annual $100,000 and lifetime $1 million limits. Sen. Prague talked about a patient who called her office needing treatment for cancer that exceeded the annual cap. He was eventually able…
Read MoreHUSKY rate audit released
The audit of large rate increases granted to the HUSKY HMOs last year has been released. Accounting firm Milliman found that the state overpaid the HMOs between $41 and 39 million. The Governor has already incorporated over $50 million in savings from re-negotiating HMO rates based on this report in her latest budget proposal. The…
Read MoreTen Ways to Save Money and Improve Health Care Quality
For Ten Ways to Save Money that Improve Quality in CT’s Health Care – so we don’t have to cut important resources for working CT families — visit our OP-ED on CT News Junkie. For sources and more details, click here.
Read MoreComptroller announces cost-saving health program for municipalities
Today Comptroller Nancy Wyman is announcing a new venture from her office that could save CT cities and towns tens of millions of dollars on health insurance costs. The Comptroller was joined in the announcement by Bart Russell, head of the CT Council of Small Towns, Sal Luciano, from AFSCME Council 4, and John Yrchik,…
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