uninsured
From the consumer helpline
A consumer called our helpline about a large bill with Hartford Hospital. Her bill for two hospital stays is about $270,000 and she is uninsured. Her income of about $49,000 doesn’t make her rich but it is over the limit for any of the hospital financial assistance programs. She was making payments on one of…
Read MoreCT uninsured hospitalizations report
In fiscal year 2008, there were 12,314 hospitalizations in CT for patients with no third party payer (government or insurance plan), down from 13, 241 in 2007 and 12,988 in 2006, according to a new report by the Office of Health Care Access. However ER visits by the uninsured rose by 2.3% from 2006 to…
Read MoreFrom the Consumer Helpline
I am working with a consumer who called our helpline to ask for help with medical debt from two hospitals. When he was in Bristol Hospital he applied for financial assistance but he was denied because he didn’t want the Department of Social Services (DSS) to put a lien on his house. It is a…
Read MoreNew from Health Affairs –6.9 million more uninsured Americans by 2010, MA reform benefits continue, and cost does not equal quality in health care
Study predicts US uninsured to grow to 52 million by the end of next year A study published today predicts that due to rising health care costs, by the end of 2010 another 6.9 million Americans will be uninsured, bringing the rate to 19.2%. For every 1% increase in health costs relative to income, another…
Read MoreWSJ blog highlights uninsured people forming small businesses to get health insurance
The Wall Street Journal reports today on a little-known option for coverage – forming a business and buying group coverage, even for groups as small as one person. Luckily CT is one of the states that allows small group coverage for groups of one and requires insurers to offer coverage to all small groups (guaranteed…
Read MoreHalf of foreclosures due to sickness and medical bills
In a legislative meeting Friday I heard an amazing statistic from a realtor – that half of foreclosures are due to medical bills. This doesn’t surprise me, many of our clients have health problems that threaten their ability to pay the mortgage. Previous studies have found that half of bankruptcies are due to high medical…
Read MoreApril CT Health Policy Web Quiz
Test your knowledge of trends in CT’s uninsured, take the April CT Health Policy Web Quiz. This month’s quiz was written by Karen Nepomuceno, Policy Intern at the CT Health Policy Project.
Read MoreCourant article highlights medical causes of bankruptcy and foreclosure, if you read into the article
The headline of an article in Sunday’s Courant reads “In CT and elsewhere, more debtors choose personal bankruptcy,” but they missed an important point. The slant of the article is the growing number of bankruptcies resulting from foreclosures. The article describes Maryann Hagberg, a Waterbury woman, and her husband forced into bankruptcy to remain in…
Read MorePeople rushing doctor appointments before they lose their job
The Hartford Courant this morning is reporting that people worried about layoffs are hurrying to schedule doctor and dentist appointments before they lose health benefits. Practices have reported an increase in calls from people who aren’t sick but need to get in for routine appointments fast. They are also getting cancellations from people who have…
Read MoreSheri Aquilino speaks out
The following email arrived at our office yesterday from one of our Board members at the CT Health Policy Project. Sheri Aquilino and her two children used to be on HUSKY; she now has coverage for her family through her job. She feels strongly that people need to understand what the Governor’s proposals for HUSKY…
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