State chooses CHN to run Medicaid

The administration announced that they will be negotiating with Community Health Network to administer the entire state Medicaid program as of January 1st. Based on the state’s community health centers, CHN has been a participating managed care provider for HUSKY since its inception sixteen years ago. The managed care program will expand beyond the current…

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Friday webinar: Cutting costs and improving quality through research

New technologies and treatments are a significant driver of skyrocketing health costs and the resulting overtreatment is harming our health. Join us for a webinar Friday at noon with The New England Comparative Effectiveness Public Advisory Council (CEPAC) to learn more about comparative effectiveness research and how it is being evaluated and applied in New…

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CTHPP brief: One in ten CT residents still uninsured last year

Results of two new Census surveys found that the 2011 uninsured brief. The number of uninsured in CT is higher than the populations of five counties and exceeds the total populations of Hartford PLUS New Britain PLUS Stamford. Not surprisingly, Black, Hispanic and lower income state residents were more likely to be uninsured, but noncitizens…

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Editorials support consumer representation on CT health insurance exchange

Today’s Hartford Courant and yesterday’s New Haven Register have both run editorials calling on policymakers to add consumer and small business representatives to the CT Health Insurance Exchange Board. Advocates have raised concerns about insurance industry dominance in the Board membership and the lack of consumer and small business representation. One in ten state residents…

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Health care jobs bubble?

An entertaining video from Marketplace explains the folly of policymakers who expect health care to solve their economic troubles. Oh The Jobs (Debt?) You’ll Create! from Marketplace on Vimeo.

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eHealth conference

October 20th at Capitol Community College in Hartford there will be a conference explaining health information technology implementation and options. The conference, Connecting Connecticut: EHRs, Meaningful Use and Health Information Exchange, is designed for providers, administrative staff, and payers. The conference is cosponsored by Capital Community College, DPH, DSS, HITECT, and the UConn School of…

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CT Health Policy Project comments on DSS proposal for Medicaid person-centered medical homes

To implement the administration’s directive to develop person/patient-centered medical homes for every Medicaid consumer, DSS has proposed a payment model very different from other successful state programs. CTHPP has submitted comments on the proposal including concerns about reliance on retrospective enhanced fee-for-service and P4P payments, the lack of risk adjustment, opaque incentives, and a weak…

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New Census numbers on uninsured – no progress

The number of uninsured CT residents remained essentially unchanged from 2009 to 2010, according to new Census numbers; however that number is up 54% from 1999. CT’s unemployment rate rose from 8.3% in 2009 to 9.1% last year. One in nine (11%) state residents remained without coverage in 2010. Six percent of children had no…

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Study finds new brain stent actually associated with More strokes, approval process faulted – CEPAC webinar

A study of the effectiveness of a brain stent, designed to reduce strokes, instead caused so many more strokes in patients (14.7%) than a control group (5.8%) that the study was quickly halted. The expensive stents had been approved by the FDA under a humanitarian exemption from usual safety reviews. The stent has been implanted…

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Uninsured Cincinnati man dies of untreated tooth decay

Kyle Willis, an unemployed, uninsured 24-year old father, died Tuesday of an infection in his wisdom tooth. He couldn’t afford to have the tooth removed, but went to an ER when his face began to swell and the pain grew. He was prescribed an antibiotic and a pain killer. He could only afford to fill…

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