With several Connecticut hospitals poised to join larger chains, a group of five health care systems announced plans Tuesday to take another tack — forming an alliance aimed at giving them the benefits of scale while remaining independent.
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
To target childhood obesity, start even younger, experts say
Many efforts targeting obesity focus on school-aged children. But a growing body of research suggests that to have the biggest impact, the work needs to start with even younger children, and their mothers.
Posted inHealth
Why some Obamacare insurance discounts could drop in 2015
Costs to buy insurance through Connecticut’s health insurance exchange won’t, on average, rise much next year. For some plans, the prices are dropping. But some customers who get financial aid to buy their insurance could see price increases beyond the rise in sticker price if they stick with their current plans.
Posted inHealth
Exchange says Obamacare helped close racial, ethnic coverage gaps
Black and Hispanic Connecticut residents were disproportionately likely to be uninsured before the rollout of the federal health law, and new data suggest that the first sign-up period for coverage under Obamacare made a dent in that disparity.
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Access Health plans much smaller enrollment assistance effort this time
When enrollment for Obamacare opens two months from now, Connecticut’s health insurance exchange is planning an in-person outreach effort that’s a fraction of the size of last year’s nearly $3 million sign-up blitz. The smaller scale worries consumer advocates, who say reaching the remaining uninsured will take a more intensive effort.
Posted inHealth
Obamacare Q&A: CT exchange will let some automatically renew plans
Access Health CT, the state’s health insurance exchange, is developing a system to automatically renew coverage for some people who don’t want to make changes to their benefits.
Posted inHealth
What new numbers on the uninsured do, and don’t, tell us about Obamacare
New figures released Tuesday indicate that the number of people without health insurance dropped in early 2014, the first year the major provisions of the federal health law took effect. But the numbers still give us a very limited picture of the impact Obamacare has had on coverage in Connecticut.
Posted inHealth
Need to reach a DSS worker? Can you hold for 78 minutes?
More than a year after the state Department of Social Services changed its phone system, people who rely on it say it remains unacceptably difficult to reach a worker. Last month, callers looking to speak to a person waited on hold an average of 78 minutes. And 71 percent hung up first.
Posted inHealth
Obamacare Q&A: Keeping old policies, and why abortion coverage costs some people $1
Can you keep an old insurance plan purchased at the end of last year to avoid the new Obamacare rules? And why does federal law on abortion mean that some Connecticut residents are paying $1 in premiums each month?
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How much will Obamacare insurance cost for you next year?
Wondering what it will cost to buy insurance next year? Here’s an interactive guide to help you out, based on the cost of standard plans sold through Access Health CT, the state’s health insurance exchange.
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What is this form? The explanation of benefits
Kathy Walsh’s job is to help Connecticut residents deal confusing parts of the health care and insurance system. And one common culprit is a form known as the “explanation of benefits.” Here’s how to understand it.
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Introducing The Mirror’s Health Care User Guide
Confused about Obamacare or the rest of the health care system? We’re here to help.
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Access Health CT’s IT chief to lead agency as interim boss
Jim Wadleigh, the top information technology official at Connecticut’s health insurance exchange, will lead the agency on an interim basis after chief executive Kevin Counihan leaves for a top federal job next week.
Posted inHealth
Access Health’s Counihan to run federal Obamacare marketplace
[Updated: 2:10 p.m.]
Kevin Counihan is resigning as the chief executive of Connecticut’s health insurance exchange to lead the once-troubled federal Obamacare marketplace. State officials announced a national search for a successor.
Posted inHealth
Obamacare Q&A: Health insurance costs and options for 2015
Will you be buying your own health care coverage for next year? Here’s a look at what you need to know about the prices and plan options.
