Five healthcare issues to follow in 2020

What Connecticut can do in an election year, with a tight budget, in an unsettled economy, and Washington in gridlock Download the details ACOs and provider financial risk Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) are large and growing systems that touch every aspect of healthcare. They make money by reducing their patients’ care costs. Unlike insurers, ACOs…

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Good and bad news on childhood obesity in CT; What we can do about it

According to a new report, 11.5% of children ages 10 to 17 in our state are obese. That is far too high and rising, but that ranks us 44th among states. At 27.4% we are also 44th among states for adult obesity. The obesity rate of Connecticut 2 to 4 year-olds enrolled in WIC (yes,…

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Community health centers still struggle with ED visits

As in the past, Medicaid patients of Connecticut’s community health centers are far more likely to visit an ED than other Medicaid patients, according to a presentation by CHNCT at Friday’s Medicaid Council meeting. While rates have decreased a bit, the very large gap in ED use rate between clinic patients and other Patient-Centered Medical…

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CT now fourth healthiest state

Connecticut residents are healthier than all but three other states. According to the latest America’s Health Rankings by the United Health Foundation. That is down from third last year, and below 2006 and 2008 when we were the healthiest in the nation. Despite the wobbling, we consistently rank well. Unfortunately, our health isn’t reflected in…

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CT employee insurance costs up, but total picture is more complicated

Worker costs for health insurance are growing in all states, including Connecticut, both in total dollars and as a proportion of median incomes, according to a new analysis by the Commonwealth Fund. Connecticut has not been hit as hard as other states, because in the past growth in median income here was strong. But that…

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ICER seeks nominations for New England Comparative Effectiveness voting panel

The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review has opened nominations for membership on their New England Comparative Effectiveness Public Advisory Council.  New England CEPAC meets three times each year in public forums across the region to assess the evidence for treatments for specific conditions with input from stakeholders including patients affected by the condition. In…

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