Officials say the in-person assistance program that helped thousands of state residents sign up for health care coverage last fall and winter will be back this fall for the next round of Obamacare enrollment. But it’s not clear where the money for it will come from, and some assisters worry because there’s been no public plan for it so far.
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, Politics
Fact check: What impact did Obamacare have on CT’s uninsured rate?
The number of uninsured in Connecticut likely dropped significantly after the major pieces of Obamacare took effect. But though officials say otherwise, the data aren’t yet available to say with confidence how much it dropped.
Posted inHealth
CT’s individual insurance market grew 55 percent under Obamacare
Data from the Connecticut Insurance Department show that more than half the people who bought their own health insurance last year have maintained their old policies. But more than 50,000 of them won’t be able to keep their health plans beyond this year, potentially setting up a repeat of last fall’s turmoil and frustration among people whose policies were discontinued.
Posted inHealth
After rate hike rejected, Anthem to decrease premiums next year
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s individual-market customers will, on average, see a slight decrease in their premiums next year under new rates approved by the Connecticut Insurance Department. The company initially sought to raise rates by an average of 12.5 percent, but the Connecticut Insurance Department said no.
Posted inPolitics
Legislative primaries: Two incumbents lose, seven hang on
A longtime state senator fended off a high-profile challenge, while two Bridgeport politicos facing legal troubles lost their bids to return to Hartford. Another Bridgeport candidate knocked off Sen. Anthony Musto of Trumbull, and the House Democrat who co-chaired the legislature’s Sportsmen’s Caucus defeated a challenger who took issue with her vote against new gun restrictions passed in the wake of the Newtown shootings.
Posted inHealth
A hospital contract dispute in a changing health care landscape
Connecticut’s largest hospital network and largest insurer are in the midst of a contract dispute. And it’s happening against the backdrop of significant changes in health care that have implications for patients across the state: the consolidation of hospitals into larger networks, and efforts by insurers to change how they pay for care.
Posted inHealth
Do public hearings influence what health insurance costs?
A Fairfield County couple traveled to Hartford in June to urge regulators not to let their son’s insurer raise its rates. A month later, the insurance department rejected the company’s proposal. But what role did the public hearing have in that decision? Not much, according to the department.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Ten things John McKinney thinks about health care
As governor, John McKinney said, he’d side more with consumers on insurance-related matters, privatize social services and ask state employees to accept less costly health insurance. He’s critical of Obamacare, but didn’t cite any specific ways he’d change how Connecticut handles it. And he cited personal experiences in explaining his views on certain issues, including physician-assisted suicide and the need to improve patient safety in hospitals.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Ten things Tom Foley thinks about health care
The Republican candidate for governor talks assisted suicide, the need for more mental institutions, hospital changes, Obamacare, the cost of Medicaid, and why private sector thinking could help cure the state’s health care woes.
Posted inHealth
Insurance department rejects Anthem rate hike, lowers others
The Connecticut Insurance Department rejected Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s request to raise individual-market premiums by an average of 12.5 percent next year, deeming the proposal excessive and directing the carrier to submit new rate proposals for review.
Posted inHealth
Moms of children with mental illness share their pain, tell their stories, push for change
Their informal network helps them to get from each other what they say is almost impossible to find elsewhere, like help figuring out the right services for a teenager at risk of suicide. Now these mothers of children with mental illness are releasing a list of ideas they think will help improve mental health care in the state.
Posted inHealth
Obamacare’s big day in court means little for CT
Two federal courts issued conflicting rulings regarding Obamacare Tuesday, but their decisions aren’t expected to directly affect Connecticut residents.
Posted inHealth
Access Health CT finds glitch behind cancellations
When officials at Connecticut’s health insurance exchange learned about customers having problems with their coverage in May, they thought they were isolated cases. But now the exchange has discovered a programming flaw behind coverage problems affecting thousands of people.
Posted inHealth
Health system overhaul plan has Medicaid advocates worried
State officials are seeking millions of dollars in federal funds with the ambitious goal of redesigning how health care is paid for and delivered to the majority of Connecticut residents. But critics say a late addition to the application could significantly change Connecticut’s Medicaid program, in ways they worry could make it harder for poor people to receive care.