cost cap - CT Health Policy

Public hearing on controversial YNHH primary care plan this week

By Ellen Andrews | November 24, 2018 |

The state Office of Health Strategy (formerly OHCA) will be holding a CON public hearing next Wednesday November 28th at 3pm at the Parish House at Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School, 150 Kimberly Ave., New Haven, CT 06519. Yale-New Haven Hospital, together with New Haven’s two community health centers, Fairhaven and Cornell Scott Hill Health…

Medicaid update: Enrollment numbers coming finally, highlighting progress

By Ellen Andrews | September 17, 2018 |

Friday’s Medicaid Council meeting focused on enrollment numbers and reviewing achievements in the program. DSS outlined challenges that have delayed reporting enrollment numbers for two years and their new system for reporting the numbers. Rather than getting enrollment reports on paper as in the past, DSS is posting the data on CT Open Data. Visitors…

Medicaid update: hints of new data and promises of more, call center wait times still long, but behavioral health progress

By Ellen Andrews | July 16, 2018 |

There was good and bad news at Friday’s Medicaid council meeting. Call center wait times are down to 85 minutes but more callers are giving up. There are signs of hope in fixing the new transportation problem and DSS has imposed sanctions (maybe a connection there), but concerns remain. But in good news, we heard…

31 ways to save on healthcare in Connecticut’s budget

By Ellen Andrews | June 26, 2018 |

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…

Rest of US catching up with CT – Medicaid managed care doesn’t work

By Ellen Andrews | May 29, 2018 |

Two Health Affairs blog posts highlight the disappointments states are having with their capitated Medicaid managed care programs. Managed care across the US is growing fast, making big profits for private insurance companies, promising improved health outcomes and lowering costs. But CT found exactly the opposite effect when we shifted away from capitated managed care…

Working parents can keep HUSKY coverage

By Ellen Andrews | May 10, 2018 |

The consensus state budget passed late yesterday includes full restoration of eligibility for current HUSKY parents. Over 13,000 working parents with incomes up to 155% of the federal poverty level ($32,209 this year) will keep coverage under the HUSKY program. Also in the budget is funding to cover out-of-pocket health costs for low income seniors…

SIM update

By Ellen Andrews | February 11, 2018 |

Across various meetings this month we’ve received a few updates on CT’s SIM planning. CT is competing with 17 other states for 12 test grants. SIM staff has acknowledged receipt of the independent advocates’ letter to CMMI and an FOI regarding Consumer Advisory Board voting and SIM budget development, but we’ve had no response to…

Medicaid Study Group recommendations to preserve, build on Medicaid success

By admin | February 6, 2018 |

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.…

Effective Communications

By admin | January 15, 2018 |

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