Health care experts thought eliminating surgeries performed on the wrong patient or body part would be a simple job, but seven years after the launch of a major effort to eradicate the medical errors, experts say the problem is more complicated, Sandra G. Boodman writes for Kaiser Health News. In fact, some experts say the […]
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.
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For some, going without health insurance is an act of faith
WINDSOR–Yvonne Mitto didn’t have health insurance when she had sinus surgery this winter, and she couldn’t be happier. She had her bills covered and, along with them, people across the country praying for her. “It was amazing,” she said. Mitto belongs to Medi-Share, a health care sharing ministry in which she and other members contribute […]
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A Hamden doctor explores the changing medical landscape on his own
Through his Hamden internal medicine practice, Dr. Edward Rippel has become something of a pioneer. He takes his notes in a tablet computer and closely monitors patients with chronic conditions. Those who are overdue for a test get a reminder, part of an effort to more carefully manage patients’ health. Rippel isn’t the first doctor […]
Posted inHealth, Money
State eliminating medical assistance program, 2 years after it was cut
Nearly 4,900 residents will lose their public health care coverage next month when the state eliminates a medical assistance program that lawmakers axed in 2009. The program was later reinstatated under a court order. The State Medical Assistance for Noncitizens program covers legal noncitizens who meet the criteria for Medicaid but have not been in […]
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Cathy Malloy aims to raise awareness about sexual assault
NEW BRITAIN–Cathy Malloy, Connecticut’s new first lady, spent more than a decade running a rape crisis center, but often, acquaintances get the details wrong. “People introduce me all the time: ‘Here’s Cathy Malloy, the executive director of a domestic violence crisis center,’” she said. “You feel very odd having to say, ‘No, no, it’s sexual […]
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DSS trying to keep 1-year-olds from mistakenly losing health coverage
The state Department of Social Services is revising and shortening the notices sent to families of infants in an effort to keep thousands of children from mistakenly losing Medicaid coverage after their first birthday. The department is also trying to ensure that workers are alerted when babies are at risk of losing coverage, DSS officials […]
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With health center plan approved, UConn medical school dean stepping down
The UConn Health Center will have new leadership as it moves ahead with a just-approved $864 million expansion and renovation plan. School of Medicine Dean Dr. Cato Laurencin is stepping down July 1, UConn President Susan Herbst announced Thursday. “While many people worked hard over many years to secure a healthy future for the UConn […]
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Public forum on health insurance exchange Wednesday
Have something to say about the health insurance exchange? Or just want to learn more about a key piece of federal health reform? State officials are holding a public forum on the exchange Wednesday evening in Bridgeport. The health insurance exchange is required under the federal health reform law and will serve as a marketplace […]
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For many with disabilities, life is a waiting list
“New normal” for Kevin Martin is listening to his 7-year-old daughter’s bedtime stories by telephone. It’s family dinners of takeout food at his nursing home. And it’s waiting. A lot of waiting. “I’m kind of in limbo,” he said during a recent visit with his wife and daughter. Martin and his wife, Lisa Hodes, are […]
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As states cut Medicaid, Connecticut takes a modest approach
Yet another topic for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and his New Jersey counterpart, Chris Christie, to disagree about: Medicaid. Christie has been getting national attention for his plan to cut $540 million from the state’s nearly $5 billion Medicaid program. Josh Lederman of the Associated Press reports that New Jersey is expected to seek federal […]
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CEOs promote wellness programs, target cancer
About 300 CEOs from 14 states are part of an effort, led by the American Cancer Society, to get employers to embrace wellness programs and fight cancer, Jackie Crosby reports in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “CEOs Against Cancer” is aimed at getting business leaders involved in promoting healthy workplace cultures, preventing cancer and reducing health […]
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Senate sinks bill easing malpractice rules
A controversial proposal to ease the requirements for filing a medical malpractice lawsuit died in the Senate Wednesday after a lengthy debate. Lawmakers stopped discussion of the bill without voting and did not take action before the session’s midnight deadline. The bill, which passed the House last month, was intended to correct what supporters said […]
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Malloy’s UConn Health Center gets final approval on the fast track
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s plan to revamp the UConn Health Center is the fourth attempt in five years to revitalize the financially-troubled Farmington medical campus. And after receiving final legislative approval early Wednesday, it might actually happen. Past plans have failed because they were too costly, inspired opposition from competing hospitals or relied on federal […]
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Insurance department: Revised rate review bill unnecessary
A controversial bill requiring public hearings when insurers seek to raise health insurance premiums by more than 10 percent passed the Senate unanimously Monday after being revised significantly. But Insurance Commissioner Thomas B. Leonardi still sees it as an “unnecessary mandate,” his spokeswoman said. “We just don’t think the legislation is necessary,” Connecticut Insurance Department […]
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Insurance rate review bill passes, but will Malloy sign it?
A proposal to give the attorney general and healthcare advocate authority to order public “symposiums” on requests to raise health and long-term care insurance rates won final legislative approval Wednesday, but it’s not clear whether Gov. Dannel P. Malloy will sign it. Malloy’s insurance commissioner, Thomas B. Leonardi, considers the bill an unnecessary mandate. Asked […]