Connecticut’s uninsured rate up, reversing four-year trend

New numbers from the US Census Bureau report that 194,000 or 5.5% of Connecticut residents were uninsured last year. That number is up 22,000 from the year before when the uninsured rate was 4.9%. The new data breaks a trend of fewer uninsured that began with implementation of coverage expansions under the Affordable Care Act…

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31 ways to save on healthcare in Connecticut’s budget

Connecticut’s state budget is facing future deficits and health spending is a large share of the budget. The state now spends $3.8 billion between Medicaid and the state employee health plan to cover about a million state residents. Health care spending outside the state budget is also growing. Connecticut has the sixth highest per capita…

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Calls needed to save healthcare for 13,000 working parents

Unless legislators act soon, 13,000 working parents will lose HUSKY coverage this coming January 1st. Sally Grossman, one of those parents with two small children, runs her own house painting business. According to Sally, “Every year I do a little better. But if I earn over $28,000, I lose my health insurance.” Click here for…

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Chartbook: Prescription drugs driving CT health costs across payers

According to a new Chartbook, prescription drugs are the largest driver of health costs in our state. We spend more per person on prescriptions than all states but Delaware and that number is rising faster here than most states. Charts regarding Medicaid spending have been corrected to reflect that pharmacy costs in the program have…

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CTNJ: Advocates must inform consumers of risks when the state won’t

This week, independent advocates launched PCMHPlusFacts.org, a campaign to give HUSKY members balanced information about an experimental, new payment model expanding across the program. PCMH Plus has risks for consumers along with possible benefits, but HUSKY members aren’t aware of them or that they have the right to opt-out of the new payment model. Read more

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Medicaid Study Group recommendations to preserve, build on Medicaid success

Actions to protect Medicaid success long-term Connecticut Medicaid Study Group Since moving away from capitated managed care plans in 2012, Connecticut’s Medicaid program has enjoyed enormous success. Per capita spending is actually down, saving hundreds of millions of tax dollars every year, and making Connecticut the best performing state in the US at controlling costs.…

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First 2018 CT Health Reform Dashboard reflects lack of progress and growing concerns

PCMH+

The state’s announcement that Medicaid intends to double down on PCMH+ — the experimental, risky new payment model – starting in March without any idea of how it harmed (or helped) over 100,000 people last year is the top concern moving into 2018. It’s also emblematic of how CT makes health policy – flying blind,…

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Chartbook: CT drugs costs high and growing fast

14.4% of our state’s economy was devoted to health care services in 2014, slightly below the US average, according to a new Chartbook on CT health spending. Based on newly released data from CMS actuaries, the analysis finds that CT health costs per person are not surprisingly high but we out-perform most other states in…

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Advocates document concerns with PCMH+ implementation

The Medicaid Study Group, a coalition of independent consumer advocates, have published an update on CT Medicaid’s new payment reform experiment, PCMH+, fact sheet and report. The program started January 1st with 137,037 members. Under the new shared saving payment model, large health systems (called ACOs in other states and programs), get half the health care savings…

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