Search results for: cost cap
Deficit grows, Medicaid revenues below expectations – Let’s hope for good news from April tax receipts
Legislative and administrative deficit estimates for this year vary by $52.8 million, about 0.3% of the total General Fund. However that small difference may be enough to trigger another deficit mitigation plan of cuts by the Governor. However any plan for cuts wouldn’t come until May, and the legislative session ends June 3rd – it…
Read MoreIntegrating behavioral health into primary care focus of next CEPAC meeting
The next CEPAC meeting will review the latest research on best practices to effectively integrate behavioral health into primary care practice. Up to 70% of physician visits include a behavioral health component. Patients with chronic conditions are more likely to experience mental illness as well and costs for these patients can be two to three…
Read MoreHealth reform update – the power of price transparency, more SIM concerns
At an important Public Health Committee hearing Wednesday, Senate leaders from both parties testified together on a slate of seven bills that would make a great start to reforming health care in our state. Among other things the bills address facility fees, price variation that has no relation to quality, hospital consolidation oversight, EMR assistance…
Read MoreMore on budget cuts – it makes no sense
Providers and advocates detailed the potential impact if the Governor’s budget proposals are adopted in a CT Mirror article published today. Heading the list of counterproductive cuts is the proposal to derail Medicaid efforts to coordinate care for the most costly and fragile members, expanding the successful model that reversed the HUSKY mess under managed…
Read MoreTroubling Medicaid, SIM updates
Friday’s Medicaid Council meeting focused on eligibility, renewal changes and implementation with a very helpful primer on the process. There is no clear answer to why Medicaid membership has dropped by 34,232 since October, but the transition to MAGI income rules and renewal delays to protect consumers from lapses in coverage are probably part of…
Read MoreGovernor proposes deep cuts to Medicaid
Updated February 19 Despite strong evidence of cost control and improving quality in the Medicaid program, today the Governor has proposed significant cuts to both eligibility and provider payment rates. The Governor has proposed cutting 34,000 low income parents off the HUSKY program. Parents in families of three with annual incomes as low as $28,000…
Read MoreCT Mirror looks at Medicaid spending – per person down, but total spending up – and that’s OK
A new analysis of CT’s Medicaid spending by CT Mirror outlines 5 things everyone should know. My top 5, below, overlap the Mirror’s. 1. Per person spending is down, especially among newly eligible childless adults 2. Total spending is up – because we have a lot more people in the program…
Read MoreSIM update – PCMH standards undermined, weak ethics adopted, but underservice group is moving forward
Again, SIM takes one step forward but two steps back. At yesterday’s steering committee meeting, SIM adopted an ineffective, weak conflict of interest policy, without a vote or any discussion. The policy would allow members to bid on significant SIM contracts that they had a substantial role in defining, potentially advantaging their company, provider or…
Read MoreBudget Update: more interim budget cuts, calls for long term fix, Medicaid deficit due to temporary issues
In response to a growing budget shortfall for this year, last week the Governor ordered $31.5 million in budget rescissions. This is the Governor’s second round of cuts for this fiscal year. Health-related cuts included $8.4 m from DDS, $1.3 m from DMHAS, $602,435 from school-based health clinics, $71,515 from Healthy Start, and $1.3m from…
Read More2014 – CT Health Care Year in Review
A lot happened in health care in CT this year — a lot of promising projects but some opportunities lost as well, leaving lots of uncertainty for 2015. It’s never boring. Thankfully, health care costs held stable CT seems to be following the US trend of slowing health costs. Spending per person in Medicaid…
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