46% of Americans can’t afford a $400 emergency; CT average individual deductible up to $1,547

A new survey by the Federal Reserve finds that almost half (46%) of Americans last year reported that an unexpected expense of $400 would be a challenge and they would have to put off the bill, borrow from family or friends or sell something to pay it. Many who experienced a financial hardship, especially low-income…

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CT insurance exchange premiums high, but growing slower than national and regional averages

A new analysis by the Urban Institute finds that insurance exchange premiums for the lowest-cost Silver plan in CT averaged 0.7% growth annually over the last two years. This is well below growth at the national and regional averages of 5.5% and 4.2% respectively. While they aren’t rising as quickly, CT premiums started out much…

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National ACO survey echoes CT survey results

A national survey by the National Association of ACOs finds leaders are concerned about recovering their investments and pressure to share in losses. ACOs bristled at the assertion that up-side only shared savings arrangements are just bonuses. One survey respondent said, “The investment risk is substantial (in our case $2.5 million per year) with no…

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New to the Book Club: The Ghost Map: The Story of London’s Most Terrifying Epidemic – and How it Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World

Every first year public health student hears the story of London’s 1854 cholera epidemic, Dr. John Snow, his map, and the Broad Street pump handle — but there is so much more to that story. The Ghost Map describes in terrifying detail the disgusting details of life in an over-populated Victorian city, the devastating disease…

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Medicaid update – HUSKY parents cut implementation, wait times improve

Friday’s Medicaid Council meeting focused on DSS and AccessHealthCT’s plans to alert 17,688 working parents that their HUSKY benefits will end August 1st. The cut was passed in last year’s state budget and 1,215 parents lost coverage last year, but the large majority qualified for another year of HUSKY under federal law. In good news,…

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Drug forum looks for state options to control costs

Yesterday’s forum on rising drug costs at the Capitol included the expected messages from the expected sources but the real news was in the second panel that offered solutions. The CT State Medical Society and the State Comptroller’s Office sponsored the forum. Dr. Jacobs, President of CSMS, laid out the problem. One medication that supports…

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Rich/Poor Life Expectancy Gap Depends on Where You Live

The richest 1% of Americans live 14.6 years longer, on average, than those with the lowest 1% of incomes and that gap is growing. While this disparity is well-known, the reasons are not well-understood. The Health Inequality Project is working to change that. Publishing their results in JAMA, researchers from across academia joined forces to…

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CT Health Care Cabinet considers WA reform strategies, CT stakeholder input

At last week’s meeting, the Health Care Cabinet heard about lessons from Washington state’s successful reforms. Washington has consolidated health care planning across both the public and private sectors. The structure isn’t the key – what’s surprising is that they can get to a thoughtful consensus through power-sharing. Like many states, they are working on…

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Palliative care webinar offers opportunities to improve life for seriously ill people — and save money

Today’s webinar with Dr. Diane Meier from the Center to Advance Palliative Care was moving as well as offering a very promising policy option for CT’s Medicaid program. Palliative care offers great potential to improve and extend the lives of people with serious illness, allowing them to get care at home if they wish, while…

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Nine in ten CT residents have a usual source of care

A new CDC report finds that in 2014, all but 10.1% of Connecticut residents had a usual source of medical care.  The same report found great variation among states but, on average, 17.3% of Americans lacked a usual source of care. Vermont led the country with only 2.8% of residents that report they do not…

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