Stats & Data
Connecticut Medicare ACOs overspent by $45 million in 2016
Data from CMS show that in 2016 Connecticut’s Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) together spent $45 million more on care for Medicare beneficiaries above risk-adjusted benchmark spending levels. ACOs are networks of providers across the continuum that coordinate care for people and receive a share of the savings they generate. All of Connecticut’s Medicare ACOs only…
Read MoreTwo thirds of CT residents prioritize healthcare for their vote
The newest survey by InformCT found that 63% of state residents cited healthcare as the leading issue in their vote for CT’s next Governor. In Congressional races, healthcare was cited as the most important by 67% and by 65% for choosing between state House and Senate candidates. Healthcare was cited at virtually the same priority…
Read MoreState individual mandate law would lower uninsured by 88,000 and premiums by 10%
A new analysis by the Commonwealth Fund estimates the impact if states passed their own individual mandate laws, similar to Massachusetts’ law that predated the ACA. According to researchers, by 2020 CT could expect our uninsured rate to drop by 34% with 88,000 more state residents having coverage. Most would gain coverage through Medicaid/CHIP (33,000)…
Read MoreMedicaid update: hints of new data and promises of more, call center wait times still long, but behavioral health progress
There was good and bad news at Friday’s Medicaid council meeting. Call center wait times are down to 85 minutes but more callers are giving up. There are signs of hope in fixing the new transportation problem and DSS has imposed sanctions (maybe a connection there), but concerns remain. But in good news, we heard…
Read MoreCTNJ op-ed — Facts, and data, are stubborn things
Big data is revolutionizing healthcare. The ability to collect reams of detailed information about how care is provided, how much it costs, and then to link that back to effectiveness and outcomes is powerful. New data tools offer the potential to improve individual and collective decision-making that targets just the right resources to the right…
Read MoreICER to report on unjustified drug price increases
Early next year, the nonprofit Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) will issue its first report on US drug price increases that are not supported by clinical evidence. ICER is a leader in assessing the value of medical treatments, including medications. ICER’s benchmark price ranges for new drugs have been used by Medicaid programs,…
Read More31 ways to save on healthcare in Connecticut’s budget
Connecticut’s state budget is facing future deficits and health spending is a large share of the budget. The state now spends $3.8 billion between Medicaid and the state employee health plan to cover about a million state residents. Health care spending outside the state budget is also growing. Connecticut has the sixth highest per capita…
Read MoreMost CT uninsured qualify for ACA coverage
Almost two in three uninsured CT residents qualifies for either Medicaid or tax credits through Access Health CT, according to a new analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation. While the uninsured rate dropped by half after implementation of the Affordable Care Act, 217,000 CT residents remained uninsured in 2016. Of those 63,000 (29%) were eligible…
Read MoreMedicaid update: Quality was rising through 2016, raising concerns about PCMH+
Friday’s MAPOC meeting focused on Medicaid quality and access information from CHNCT, DSS’s administrative contractor for the program. Across the 12 (of over 100) quality measures chosen, there was modest but sustained improvement from 2014 through 2016. However community health center performance consistently lags behind other PMCH practices across the quality measures. Of particular concern…
Read MoreCT suicide rate up, but it could be worse
The national suicide rate grew by 25% from 1999 to 2016 while CT’s rate grew by 19.2% over those years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Suicides in CT are more than three times higher for men and 31% higher for whites. Over half of Americans who died by suicide did…
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