Fascinating interactive infographic on international health care spending gap

It’s not news that the US spends far more per person on health care than other high-income countries (and we get less for that spending, but that’s another blog), but an interactive infographic  from the New England Journal of Medicine breaks it down by year and category of spending. Like the best cool graphics, this one…

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Advocates meeting with SIM staff

Yesterday’s meeting with advocates called by SIM staff included some good news but more challenges focusing on process over content. Advocates were encouraged that the SIM planners are now interested in getting input from both “real” consumers, especially from under-served populations, and from professional, independent advocates who follow complex policy proposals on behalf of Connecticut…

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More doctors participating in Medicaid

The Hartford Business Journal is reporting on the increase in primary care providers caring for Medicaid consumers. The number of Medicaid primary care providers has more than doubled in the last two years. This is critically important as an estimated 150,000 more state residents will qualify for Medicaid coverage under the ACA. The article credits…

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Book Club — Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie or Die

A fascinating, sort of scary, book about the power of big data and new analytics to predict human behavior, Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie or Die is the latest addition to the CT Health Policy Project Book Club. In 2012 there was a lot of news about the revelation…

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CT’s final SIM plan: Consumer advocates have questions

Connecticut’s executive branch policymakers have finished theState Innovation Model (SIM) plan to fundamentally transform our state’s fragmented health care system – both how care is delivered by doctors, hospitals and other providers, and how it is paid for. SIM is meant tocover at least three million state residents – Medicare, Medicaid, employer benefits and private…

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Annapolis CSG/ERC state visit – lots of opinions on the insurance exchange’s problems, Medicare hospital waiver, and SIM

It’s been a fascinating CSG/ERC state capitol visit in Annapolis over the last two days. In meetings with policymakers I’ve heard a range of opinions and emotions on MD’s insurance exchange – from optimism that eventually it will start working to calls to scrap it and revert to the federal exchange. By all accounts, the…

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Ages of CT insurance exchange consumers raising concerns

Board members of Access Health CT are now raising concerns about the age profile of the health insurance exchange’s consumers. Over one third (36%) of people buying insurance there are over age 55, but make up only 12.5% of CT’s total population and 7.7% of the uninsured. In contrast, young adults ages 18 to 34…

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Updated website and expanded reach for comparative effectiveness org – ICER

The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review has a new website with decision aids for consumers and doctors, comparative value analyses of new treatments, and regional roundtables to translate that research into policy. Adding the CA Technology Assessment Forum to their CEPAC work in New England allows millions more people to benefit.

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CT health insurance exchange update – enrollees trend older, Anthem billing problems, and good stories of coverage

Customers trying to buy coverage on Access Health CT, our state’s health insurance exchange, from Anthem are having trouble paying their bill to comply with the Affordable Care Act’s January 1st coverage mandate. Anthem is the most popular choice with 25,000 enrollees so far. Many people have paid their bill but have not been set…

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Health equity lectures

The Bioscience CT Health Disparities Institute at UConn Health Center is sponsoring a series of lectures this year on Health Disparities through the lens of Research, Capacity Building, Outreach & Engagement and Policy. The first on January 30th, features Dr. Chau Trinh-Shevrin, on Advancing Health Equity through the Intersection of Social Determinants and Community-Engaged Approaches.…

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