Eligibility income levels increase tomorrow

Many programs, including HUSKY and Medicaid, base eligibility determinations on the Federal Poverty Level – an antiquated mechanism, that shortchanges CT, of determining what the basics of life cost. Anyway, those dysfunctional standards are updated every year and the new levels become effective tomorrow. Here are the new numbers, with calculations for HUSKY program eligibility…

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Notes from Massachusetts

It’s always dangerous to visit other states – you are reminded of how far Connecticut has to go. I spent yesterday in Boxborough, MA at Health Care For All’s fifth annual policy & organizing conference. The prevailing climate was of advocates, providers and state administration very comfortable working together toward a common goal – getting…

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Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick airs tonight

The first of a seven part documentary on health disparities, Unnatural Causes, begins tonight at 10 pm on CPTV. Tonight’s show, In Sickness and in Wealth, focuses on overarching themes. “What are the connections between healthy bodies, healthy bank accounts and skin color?” The episode follows a CEO, a lab supervisor, a janitor and an…

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Appropriations passes a budget

Today, the Appropriations Committee passed their version of the state budget, about $100 million below the Governor’s proposal. The Committee cut $110 million from Medicaid, HUSKY and nursing homes for cost and caseload updates – the Committee believes that the Medicaid budget has been inflated in recent years by the administration and wants to use…

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Anthem not bidding on Charter Oak or HUSKY

Last week, Anthem sent a letter notifying DSS that they will not be submitting a bid for the joint HUSKY/Charter Oak Plan RFP. Initial responses are due to the state on Friday. Anthem’s concerns include inadequate funding for full-risk HUSKY and Charter Oak; advocates and other state officials have also been concerned about the programs’…

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Consider an internship at the CT Health Policy Project

Are you interested in making a difference for CT consumers struggling to get the health care they need? To help policymakers find solutions for complex and costly health system problems? Working with experienced professional staff and other interns from diverse fields and perspectives? Consider an internship with the CT Health Policy Project. For almost a…

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The mortgage crisis and medical debt

I was floored when I picked up the paper the other day and read that the Federal Reserve is bailing out Bear Stearns, the fifth largest investment bank in the nation. Until the moment it teetered on the brink of failure, Bear Stearns asserted that it had avoided crisis. I wasn’t upset because of the…

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Charter Oak update

HB-5617 – the “Charter Oak fix bill – passed the Human Services Committee yesterday with substitute language along party lines. The bill that passed includes mental health parity for the program, eliminates the requirement that enrollees be uninsured for six months to be eligible, reports on services delivered and the costs of care, Charter Oak…

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Women’s basketball injuries similar to men’s

An article in this month’s issue of Connecticut Medicine finds that despite differences from the men’s game, women basketball players suffer similar injuries at similar rates at both the high school and college levels. ACL injuries are the exception – women are two to four times more likely to suffer these tears most commonly resulting…

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Office of Health Care Advocate saved over $4 million for CT consumers in 2007

For every dollar spent on the Office of Health Care Advocate (OHA), $4.42 was returned to CT consumers in health care services last year, according to OHA’s most recent annual report. From 2001 to 2007, OHA helped consumers with almost 10,000 complaints. Additionally, OHA was able to get two pieces of consumer protection legislation passed…

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