CT Medicaid Primary Care Redesign: What the Evidence Says Part 4: Better, Safer Options

Download the full report with sources Connecticut Medicaid is considering reforms to primary care delivery and payment. The CT Health Policy Project is collecting evidence from other states and programs to help inform that planning. Part 1 focused on Connecting with community services to improve health. Part 2 explored primary care payment reform, especially value-based…

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Book Club: Healthy Voices, Unhealthy Silence: Advocacy and Health Policy for the Poor

It was difficult to read Healthy Voices, Unhealthy Silence by Colleen Grogan and Michael Gusmano; thankfully it is short. It explores Connecticut’s adoption of managed care for Medicaid in 1996. The picture it paints is not flattering. Published in 2007, I’m embarrassed that I hadn’t seen this book before now. The authors track the implementation…

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ICER seeking nominations for New England evidence review council

The Institute for Economic and Clinical Review (ICER) is seeking nominations for new members to the New England Comparative Effectiveness Public Advisory Council (New England CEPAC). In my time on the New England CEPAC, it was an exciting dive into learning new things with a team of exceptional experts and colleagues from across the region.…

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ICER fair access report finds improvements but problems with transparency

ICER’s third annual Barriers to Fair Access report found that most prescription drug coverage policies met fair rules for patient access. This is an improvement over previous years suggesting that transparency and public sunlight works. But the report also found that policies needed more transparency and are too complex. Policies on which patients are eligible…

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Book Club: We’ve Got You Covered

I wasn’t looking forward to reading yet another book promoting yet another idea to solve America’s broken healthcare system. But it’s my job, so I dove into We’ve Got You Covered: Rebooting American Health Care by Liran Einav and Amy Finkelstin. I’m a convert now – mostly. The first half of the book is the…

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CT Medicaid primary care redesign: Payment reform

Download the full report with sources Connecticut Medicaid is considering reforms to primary care delivery and payment. The CT Health Policy Project is collecting evidence from other states and programs to help inform that planning. Part 1 focused on Connecting with community services to improve health. A major part of DSS’s planning for reform is…

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CT primary care redesign: What the evidence says

Early in 2023, Connecticut’s Department of Social Services (DSS) embarked on an ambitious planning process to make significant changes to primary care delivery and payment in our state’s Medicaid program. DSS’s planning committee meeting materials and recordings are available here. In Connecticut, there have been differing perspectives about the status of primary care, Medicaid and…

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Healthcare access for CT residents with developmental disabilities Speaker Series

About 45,000 Connecticut residents have a developmental disability. Compared to Americans without disabilities, adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities are five times more likely to be in poor health, half as likely to get a check-up, have lower rates of blood pressure checks, flu shots, oral health care, and screens for cancer, cholesterol, vision, or…

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Analysis: Bristol Hospital VP Says Unfair Practices Are Leading to a Nurse Shortage For Independent Hospitals

Healthcare is expensive in Connecticut. The shortage of nurses is a prime driver of those rising costs. Nursing is hard and dangerous work. While the state is working to lower healthcare costs across Connecticut, another state entity is driving up private nursing costs. Read more

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Analysis: CT State Employee Health Plan Tied for Richest in US

Last year, Connecticut’s health plan for current state employees and their dependents covered 98% of the costs of that care, according to a new report by Georgetown’s Center on Health Insurance Reform. We are tied with Vermont for the richest state employee plan in the nation. Connecticut’s plan for state employees and dependents would qualify…

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