Happy Birthday to us

The CT Health Policy Project turns 25 on September 1^st. No party, but there will be cake.

Anniversaries evoke memories — how far we’ve come and how much remains to be done. It’s striking how much of our 20^th anniversary advice from friends, still stands.

Nothing happens alone. Remembering the dozens of staff and hundreds of students we’ve hosted over the years. Many are still in touch. Very grateful for our current and past collaborators and supporters. Remembering past anniversary parties, with staff, students, supporters, and friends. Many thanks to all of you who’ve supported us over the years and made us successful.

Connecticut’s healthcare environment has made huge strides, but there are still serious challenges. Some are new, but some are old challenges we fixed but they are coming around again. That’s the frustrating part.

The good:

• Our uninsurance rate was 9.8% in 1999, it was 5.2% last year
• Medicaid covered 324,700 people in 1999 , last year Medicaid served 1,159,630 state residents – filling its critical role as a safety net while employer-based coverage wanes
• Our Medicaid program was run by private managed care companies in 1999 — Now we run it ourselves, with everyone at the table working collaboratively — and we lead the nation in quality, access, and cost control
• Nationally, the Affordable Care Act and the Inflation Reduction Act have made huge strides in covering more people and more transparency has improved policymaking in the US and Connecticut
• Healthcare policymaking in our state is far more open, thoughtful, evidence and outcome-based, and less political – both inside and outside government – advocates are more united than I’ve ever experienced
• There is lots of interest in our tools to build capacity in Connecticut healthcare policymaking – CT Healthcare Explained and our Advocacy Toolbox

The bad:

• Healthcare costs are still growing faster than our economy – every anniversary we think it can’t grow any more, but then it does
• Healthcare is more consolidated – higher prices, less consumer choice, and less personalized care
• Quality of care in Connecticut is still average, despite what we are spending
• Providers, especially nurses and mental health providers, are burning out and giving up – that really isn’t sustainable
• Moving to value in our healthcare system has become a meaningless slogan, or worse
• COVID and the opioid epidemic – they are just horrible — but we have a new appreciation for public health
• There’s a lot at stake in this year’s elections for President and Congress
• Inexplicably, this Governor wants to explore bringing back managed care organizations into Medicaid — again

We’re still optimistic that Connecticut healthcare will continue to improve, and things will get better over time. We’ll keep working to see that happen.