The MATCH Coalition finally held its forum to advocate for Medicaid coverage of smoking cessation services Thursday. The event got postponed twice because of bad weather, but the interim brought good news for the group: Gov. Dannel P. Malloy included tobacco cessation for Medicaid recipients in his proposed budget. “In the long run, I guess […]

Dr. Cliff O’Callahan’s practice submitted an application last week to become officially recognized as a patient-centered medical home and, in the process, became critical to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration’s goals for providing health care to more than 500,000 state residents. Dr. Cliff O’Callahan As part of an overhaul of state Medicaid programs, the administration […]

Poor adults in Medicaid would get fewer dental cleanings and have to chip in for the cost of medical care under Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s proposed budget. Seniors receiving home care would have to pay more for the services, and a portion of the program aimed at keeping seniors out of nursing homes would be […]

The Malloy administration announced plans Tuesday to move the HUSKY and Charter Oak health programs out of managed care and increase care coordination in the state’s other Medicaid programs, an effort officials said would save money while giving the state more control over health programs that serve more than 500,000 people. Wyman and Barnes announce […]

Opponents of state mandates on what health insurance plans must cover have a new argument, and it comes from federal health reform. Under the law, the federal government will define a set of “essential benefits” that must be included in health plans sold in the exchange, the marketplace for private insurance that will open by […]

Bristol Mayor Art Ward’s constituents had questions when they learned two group homes were moving into their neighborhood, but they never got satisfactory answers. Instead, he said, they got additional traffic and cars parked on sidewalks. Walter Glomb State lawmakers are now considering multiple bills that would require a public hearing on the location of […]

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has tapped a venture capitalist who advises the insurance industry to lead the Connecticut Insurance Department, an agency that has come under criticism for being too cozy with the businesses it regulates. Malloy introduces Thomas Leonardi Malloy said his pick, Thomas B. Leonardi, is not an industry insider, but someone with […]

Patients used to navigating the differences between in-network and out-of-network providers might soon learn another distinction: tier one and tier two. A new Aetna program divides hospitals in the insurer’s network into tiers based on cost and requires patients to pay significantly higher out-of-pocket charges if they go to those deemed less affordable. A woman […]

With more than 1,800 blood donations canceled in Connecticut because of recent severe weather, American Red Cross officials called the governor’s office, hoping Gov. Dannel P. Malloy could help spread the word about the need for donors. “He said, ‘I can do you one better,’” Paul T. Sullivan, CEO of the American Red Cross Connecticut […]

The Hospital of Central Connecticut and CIGNA have reached a contract agreement, allowing the hospital to remain in the insurer’s network. The hospital had been poised to leave CIGNA’s network next month if they did not reach an agreement. The two sides were in talks for more than a year. The hospital had said it […]

When gubernatorial candidate Dannel P. Malloy spoke last year about not shredding the state’s safety net, Connecticut Community Providers Association President and CEO Terry Edelstein said it left her and her colleagues wondering. “We used to wonder among ourselves, saying, ‘well, alright, what is the safety net?’” she said. Now that he’s Gov. Malloy, Edelstein […]

Cigna and The Hospital of Central Connecticut say they could sever ties next month if they can’t reach a new contract agreement–the latest in a string of public contract disputes between hospitals and insurers. Each dispute has its own dynamics, but experts say the spate of contentious contract negotiations reflects the uncertainties hospitals and insurers […]

When gubernatorial candidate Dannel P. Malloy spoke last year about not shredding the state’s safety net, Connecticut Community Providers Association President and CEO Terry Edelstein said it left her and her colleagues wondering. “We used to wonder among ourselves, saying, ‘well, alright, what is the safety net?’” she said. Now that he’s Gov. Malloy, Edelstein […]

For the past two years, lawmakers and victims have sought to extend the civil statute of limitations in child sexual abuse cases, but the controversial proposals never made it to a vote in the full House or Senate. Opponents criticized the proposals for making the change retroactive. Now state Sen. Beth Bye, D-West Hartford, has […]

A hotly contested proposal to tighten state regulation of health insurance rate hikes didn’t make it through the legislature last year. But in the wake of recent fights over premium increases, several lawmakers are eager to revisit the issue. So far, 10 bills have been introduced that call for public hearings or increased state oversight […]