Connecticut ranks 4th in nation for health of women and children

The  newest report by America’s Health Rankings finds that women and children in Connecticut are healthier than women and children in all but three other states. While we rank best in outcomes for children, we are 48th in clinical care for infants. Our strengths include cervical cancer screening, the lowest rate of smoking in pregnancy…

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Kaiser Medicaid and state marketplace implementation brief highlights CT

Three years into ACA expansions, the Kaiser Foundation has highlighted how four states, including CT, are streamlining eligibility and enrollment. Researchers used focus groups and case studies to find that eligibility and enrollment systems worked well through the expansion and while Medicaid enrollment grew quickly in the beginning, it has now stabilized. While marketplace enrollment…

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Recognize the people that keep CT healthy — Nominate a Health Care Hero

The Hartford Business Journal is again seeking nominations for outstanding health care leaders who epitomize a “hero” when it comes to helping others in central CT. They can be companies, teams, doctors, nurses, specialists or managers. The deadline for nominations is October 6th. In addition to an awards event on Dec. 1, finalists and winners…

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CTNJ highlights concerns with Cabinet reform proposal

“It’s not everyday that healthcare advocates and the Department of Social Services agree, but that’s what’s happening in a debate on how to save money and make sure residents, especially those on Medicaid, get the care they need”, according to today’s CT News Junkie. The article gives a very understandable description of the Health Care…

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Medicaid update – HUSKY parents’ fate, access monitoring plan, eligibility systems update and first look at Medicaid impact of controversial Health Care Cabinet proposal

This month’s Medicaid Council meeting began with ongoing concerns about what happened to HUSKY parents cut off the program at the end of July. There were lots of numbers but of the original 18,903 slated for the cut in last year’s budget at least 7,713 were lost to HUSKY or AccessHealthCT coverage. Almost 4,000 more…

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Census finds 211,000 CT residents without coverage last year, down 35,000 from 2014

New Census health coverage numbers finds that CT’s uninsured rate went down to 6% last year, a significant drop from 9.4% two years ago before ACA implementation. That rate puts CT ahead of the entire US at 9.4% and ahead of our neighbor NY at 7.1%; we are well above MA’s uninsured rate at 2.8%…

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Comments and alternatives to the Health Care Cabinet’s draft proposal for reform

As directed in a law passed last year, the Health Care Cabinet is considering a draft Strawman proposal drafted by consultants for comprehensive, statewide health care reform in Connecticut. Many concerns have been raised about the very ambitious proposal which includes merging all state agencies that touch health care, ACOs with downside risk, an 1115…

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Letter urges public input into Cabinet reform plan

Serous concerns have been raised by diverse stakeholders about the Health Care Cabinet’s Strawman proposal for health reform. Among the proposal’s very ambitious plans are merging a dozen state agencies that touch on health under one person, close “alignment” of Medicaid and the state employee plan, creation of a new agency to oversee and regulate…

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GAO reports find individual insurance markets concentrated in most states in 2014, but largest in CT losing market share

Recent news about insurers leaving AccessHealthCT, CT’s health insurance exchange, have raised concerns about lowering competition and rising prices for health insurance. CT is not alone. Prior to 2014 health insurance markets in most states were highly concentrated, according to the US General Accounting Office. However, the largest individual coverage insurer in CT, Anthem/Wellpoint, has…

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