Health Insurance Exchange Board meeting update

  Today’s Access Health CT Board meeting was largely uneventful; despite that, the room was packed. The highly anticipated report from Wakely’s actuaries on their meetings with the plans to give premium proposals a “second look” was not ready. This is in lieu of negotiating premiums – a bill directing the exchange to do that…

Read More

ECHN seeks to join growing list of CT hospitals merging and converting to for-profit

  The Hartford Business Journal is reporting that ECHN, parent of Manchester Memorial and Rockville General Hospitals, is close to selling to Vanguard Health Systems, Inc., a for-profit chain based in Nashville. ECHN made $3.7 million margin (profit) in 2012. The article reports that Bristol and Waterbury hospitals are also in discussion with Vanguard. This…

Read More

Intern Academy resources online

    Tuesday’s CT Health Intern Academy attracted over 100 participants to a day of health policy and skill training at the Capitol. Many thanks to our expert speakers including policy, advocacy, budget, media and organizing specialists, Kevin Lembo, CT State Comptroller, our keynote speaker, and to the CT Health Foundation for supporting the event.…

Read More

Videos posted for Intern Academy

  As context for Tuesday’s CT Health Intern Academy, we have posted four 5 to 7 minute video backgrounders  on CT’s health policy system – nuts & bolts, the uninsured, health care costs, and the Affordable Care Act – and three on health advocacy in CT – nuts & bolts, legislative and budget. Also posted…

Read More

Medicaid Council update

  Today’s Medicaid Council focused on the SIM planning process working to reform CT’s health system across payers. The project is planning a large public input solicitation over the next few months through the Health Care Cabinet. The project is working to engage consumers and develop a person-centered lens for policymaking. We’ll have more on…

Read More

Insurance executives salaries excessive

  The CEO of Wellpoint, owner of Anthem, was the highest paid insurance executive last year at $20.6 million according to an analysis by C-HIT. Despite complaints about ACA and Wall Street regulations, salaries for the top five executives at the five largest insurers ranged from $21 to $47 million. Health care executives are the…

Read More

Intern Academy agenda updated

  The agenda and speakers list for the June 18th CT Health Intern Academy have been updated. Free and open to anyone interested in learning more about health policy, the event will be June 18th, from 9:30 am to 2 pm at the Legislative Office Building. The agenda includes panels on Health Policy Trends, State…

Read More

Bill directing exchange to negotiate premiums died on House calendar

  SB-596, a bill that would have implemented active purchasing in Connecticut’s health insurance exchange, died yesterday without action by the House on the last day of the session. The bill passed the Senate last week. The bill directed exchange staff to negotiate premiums with insurers. Negotiations in California and Massachusetts’s exchanges have kept costs…

Read More

Anthem proposed rates for inside and outside exchange filed

  Yesterday, Anthem’s proposed 2014 rates were posted on the insurance department’s website. Proposed base rates (costs for an average 21 year old in an average plan before adjustment for age, geography and benefit plan) average $296.49 and $440.30 per month for individualsand small businesses respectively. Rates reflect an 8.6% increase over 2013. These averages…

Read More

HUSKY parents stay in Medicaid in state budget

The budget that passed the Senate yesterday and the House this weekend makes no changes to HUSKY parents eligibility. In February the Governor proposed reducing eligibility for HUSKY parents to 133% of the federal poverty level, removing 37,500 working people from the program and saving the state $5.9 million next year and $59.5 million the…

Read More