The changes were made in response to concerns that people are taking advantage of current rules to sign up only after they get sick, and worries that a lack of payments to brokers has affected enrollment.
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
After the save: A drug can reverse an overdose. Then what?
The drug naloxone can reverse an opioid overdose. Experts say it’s a vital tool, but in many ways, a short-term one: Naloxone saves lives, but it doesn’t necessarily change them. Now, a pilot program in one emergency room aims to connect people who have been revived after overdoses to longer-term recovery help.
Posted inHealth, Money
Lembo targets ‘skyrocketing’ drug prices
State Comptroller Kevin P. Lembo unveiled a five-point plan Tuesday to develop new legislation to reduce “skyrocketing” pharmaceutical drug costs in Connecticut.
Posted inHealth
CT exchange wants to require broker commissions for health plans
Insurance companies that sell plans through the state’s exchange stopped paying commissions to brokers this year, and the exchange’s CEO says that has affected enrollment.
Posted inHealth
Healthcare advocate nominee: The costs are too high
In his job interview with legislators, Ted Doolittle described the nation’s health care system as the most complex in the world, in dire need of improvement and burdening individuals with costs that are too high.
Posted inHealth
Access Health seeks to tighten midyear enrollment rules, citing potential abuse
People who try to buy health insurance after the annual open-enrollment period could soon face stricter scrutiny before getting covered under a proposal aimed at cracking down on those who forgo insurance, then enroll once they get sick.
Posted inHealth
A health center tries a new way to deliver care, starting with longer appointments
Norwalk Community Health Center’s pilot program is small. But in shifting how care is delivered for patients with complex needs, it has implications for how the center treats all of its patients. It’s also an example of what a major, ongoing change in health care delivery could look like, a shift that could, ultimately, affect all patients in Connecticut.
Posted inHealth
How can states tackle rising medication prices?
There’s a bully pulpit approach – think President-elect Donald J. Trump, who blasted pharmaceutical companies Wednesday – or the more industry-friendly concept of tying payments to whether the drugs deliver value, like fewer hospitalizations. There’s proposing legislation to increase transparency in drug pricing, or treating certain medications as critical goods that should be regulated like water and electricity.
Posted inHealth
Malloy taps consumer protection official to be state healthcare advocate
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has appointed Ted Doolittle to serve as the state’s healthcare advocate, tapping an attorney with a wide range of experience to lead an office that helps consumers with health care issues and works on policy matters.
Posted inHealth
Access Health says 104,495 signed up for insurance that began Jan. 1
That figure represents customers who met the first coverage deadline for Obamacare plans, Dec. 15.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Malloy to Congress: Obamacare repeal would be ‘disastrous’
But the governor also said he would work with Congress to make improvements to the existing health care system, and Insurance Commissioner Katharine L. Wade recommended several areas for improving the federal health law.
Posted inHealth
What ‘repeal-replace’ could mean for your employer health plan
If you’re like most Connecticut residents and get your health insurance through an employer, chances are the future of Obamacare doesn’t have nearly as much bearing on your coverage. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing at stake for you as federal lawmakers look to repeal and replace the health law.
Posted inPolitics
Senators face a tough session but open with collegiality
Republican leader Len Fasano said a power-sharing agreement between the parties in the evenly divided chamber was rooted in the friendship he has with Democratic leader Martin Looney, which dates back more than 30 years.
Posted inEducation, Health, Money, Politics
As the 2017 legislative session opens: What to know
The 2017 legislative session begins today, kicking off a five-month frenzy as lawmakers work to craft a budget in the face of bleak fiscal problems and debate topics ranging from school funding to legalizing pot. Here’s a look at what to expect.
Posted inHealth
5 health care stories to watch in the 2017 legislative session
From an ailing state budget to potential changes in the way the state oversees what services hospitals deliver, state lawmakers will be dealing with a variety of health-related issues during the upcoming legislative session. Here are five to keep an eye on.