Yale Medicine and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield reached a new contract agreement Wednesday, averting the possibility that the large New Haven-area medical practice would leave the network of the state’s largest insurer later this week.
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
Study asks: Do doctors’ political views influence care?
A new study by Yale researchers suggests Republican and Democrat doctors have different views on the seriousness of politically charged issues such as marijuana use, abortion or having a gun at home – and might handle them differently with patients.
Posted inHealth
CT hospital finances weakened in 2015
The average margin of Connecticut hospitals dropped during the 2015 fiscal year, and fewer hospitals turned a profit. Even so, the majority of hospitals in the state remained profitable, and the cost of uncompensated care fell by 15.6 percent.
Posted inHealth
With no broker fees, will Obamacare customers get enough shopping help?
About half of those who get coverage through the state’s health insurance exchange will need to change plans for next year. But the availability of a key source of help – brokers, who advised buyers of 40 percent of this year’s policies – will be significantly reduced, worrying some who say clients could struggle to get help picking the right coverage.
Posted inHealth
State rejects challenge to the hospital tax
Two state agency heads have ruled against Connecticut hospitals’ claims that the state tax on hospitals is illegal, clearing the way for the industry to take the state to court.
Posted inHealth
Yale Medicine could leave Anthem’s network Oct. 7
Updated at 11:55 a.m.
The contract dispute pits Connecticut’s largest insurer against a major group of clinicians, and could affect thousands of patients.
Posted inHealth, Money
CT health insurance rates to rise sharply in 2017
Most Connecticut health insurance plans will undergo steep rate hikes next year, although in some cases, the prices will not go up by as much as carriers had sought.
Posted inHealth
Can an apartment cut health care costs of homeless ‘super users’?
Connecticut is part of a national demonstration program aimed at finding a new way to address the needs of homeless health care “super users.” It’s designed to test the questions: Can housing and support be the answer? Can it save money? And can it be sustainable?
Posted inHealth
Malloy signs medical marijuana for minors bill
The measure takes effect Oct. 1 and would apply to minors with one of five medical conditions. They must have permission from two doctors and a parent or guardian.
Posted inHealth
Introducing The Mirror’s Hospitals Database
On average, 78 percent of hospital beds in the state were filled during the 2014 fiscal year, and patients stayed an average of five days. Connecticut’s acute care hospitals earned an average margin of 6.22 percent that year. But averages don’t tell the full story about hospitals in Connecticut. This database is aimed at helping you dig deeper.
Posted inEducation, Health, Justice, Money, Politics
A handshake, then a vote on Connecticut’s next budget
Updated at 11:10 p.m.
The Senate adopted a $19.76 billion budget Thursday that would eliminate a nearly $1 billion deficit and significantly reduce larger shortfalls after the November state elections.
Posted inEducation, Health, Money, Politics, Transportation
5 things to know about the new state budget plan
The Senate is expected to vote today on a $19.76 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year intended to wipe out a $1 billion deficit, a measure touted by Democrats for not raising taxes and blasted by Republicans for relying on illusory savings.
Posted inEducation, Health, Justice, Money, Politics, Transportation
Nonpartisan analysts: Tentative CT budget wipes away lots of red ink
The tentative plan to close a $1 billion hole in Connecticut’s finances starting July 1 also would wipe away more than 40 percent of the red ink threatening state government after the November elections, nonpartisan fiscal analysts reported Tuesday evening.
Posted inHealth
Feds want medical bills simplified
Confused by your medical bills? Surveys say you’re not alone, and now a top federal health official wants to do something about it.
Posted inHealth, Money
Agency head: Mosquito-control funding cut a problem as Zika spreads
Pending cuts to state funding for mosquito control could pose a problem for the agency that monitors the insects for the Zika virus and other diseases, the director of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station said Friday. But Gov. Dannel P. Malloy promised to find the money.