To avoid cutting $4.7 million from mental health and substance abuse treatment, the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services is delaying new programs, including funding for a care coordination program intended to help patients who frequently end up in the emergency room.
Arielle Levin Becker
Arielle Levin Becker covered health care for The Connecticut Mirror. She previously worked for The Hartford Courant, most recently as its health reporter, and has also covered small towns, courts and education in Connecticut and New Jersey. She was a finalist in 2009 for the prestigious Livingston Award for Young Journalists, a recipient of a Knight Science Journalism Fellowship and the third-place winner in 2013 for an in-depth piece on caregivers from the National Association of Health Journalists. She is a 2004 graduate of Yale University.
Posted inHealth, Money
CT’s hospital spending and taxes, explained
As state lawmakers debate the state’s treatment of hospitals, here’s a look at what Connecticut spends on hospitals, how it’s changed over the years and what the governor’s recent cuts to the industry affect.
Posted inHealth
Access Health CT says uninsured rate lower than Census figures
Connecticut’s health insurance exchange released an analysis Thursday suggesting that the state’s uninsured rate this year is 3.8 percent, but that figure comes with some caveats.
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In Windham Hospital service cuts, some see sign of the future
Most of Connecticut’s 29 hospitals are in or joining larger systems, raising the possibility that parent companies will seek to consolidate services rather than offering every type of care at each hospital in their network. Does the state have the proper oversight to address cuts in what services hospitals deliver?
Posted inHealth
Auditors question Access Health’s information security
In a report released Tuesday, state auditors cited concerns raised by a security expert who reviewed the Access Health insurance exchange following a 2014 security breach. They suggested that the quasi-public agency develop a system for responding to security deficiencies.
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Hospital for Special Care opening state’s first autism inpatient unit
The Hospital for Special Care announced plans to open an eight-bed inpatient unit next month for young people with autism spectrum disorders as well as aggression, self-injury or severely impaired functioning – something hospital officials and advocates say will be an alternative to children being sent to out-of-state facilities, treatment progams that don’t meet their needs, or getting stuck in an emergency room while waiting for services.
Posted inHealth, Money
Hartford HealthCare, Day Kimball suspend talks, citing state’s ‘reckless’ cuts
Hartford HealthCare and the parent company of Day Kimball Hospital say they have suspended plans to consider an affiliation because of “severe and unexpected” cuts in Medicaid payments, a reference to $192 million in funding reductions Gov. Dannel P. Malloy made to hospitals last month.
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About one in four who lost HUSKY signed up for insurance
About one in four low-income parents who lost Medicaid coverage in September signed up for a private health plan through the state’s health insurance exchange before the deadline last week – a total of 166 people.
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Hospitals could face larger cut
The governor cut $192 million in Medicaid funding for hospitals last month, but the actual hit to hospitals could end up being 25 percent higher. The state is holding back additional payments that weren’t part of the cost-saving measure, and the governor’s budget office said decisions about whether to pay them will be “based on whether we have enough money to keep the budget in balance.”
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Connecticut Children’s Medical Center names new CEO
James E. Shmerling, a longtime hospital executive, will become president and CEO of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford next month, the hospital announced Thursday.
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Middlesex Hospital joins Mayo Clinic’s clinical network
Middlesex Hospital is joining a clinical care network run by the Mayo Clinic, an arrangement designed to give doctors at the Middletown hospital access to consultations with Mayo experts, hospital officials said Thursday.
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Specialty drug prices threaten health care affordability
The state employee health plan has tailored its design to encourage people to manage chronic conditions, get preventive care and avoid emergency room visits. But costs are being driven up by the rising expense of specialty drugs for conditions including Hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis and cancer. It’s a challenge that’s not unique to the state employee health plans, health care experts said Tuesday.
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How to find (reliable) medical information online
There’s a wealth of medical information available online – but it’s not all trustworthy. Here are some tips from medical librarians on how to find reliable health information online and avoid the rest.
Posted inHealth, Money
Amid questions, commissioner won’t recuse herself from Anthem-Cigna proposal
Connecticut Insurance Commissioner Katharine L. Wade, a former Cigna lobbyist whose husband still works for the company, said she does not intend to recuse herself from considering Anthem’s proposal to buy the Bloomfield insurer — a choice that drew criticism about a potential conflict of interest.
Posted inHealth, Money
Hospital CEO pay: red herring or key in state funding debate?
As hospital leaders warn of potential job cuts and service reductions in response to state funding cuts, the six- and seven-figure pay packages of Connecticut hospital executives have emerged as a point of contention — to some, a red herring to distract from the state’s fiscal policy, while others view it as a way to point out misplaced priorities at nonprofit hospitals at a time when executive pay and income disparities have become a rallying cry in national politics.