Robert E. Davidson, a longtime advocate for people with mental illness, died Monday. He testified often at the state Capitol complex, but also tried other methods of teaching lawmakers about the challenges people with mental illness face.
CTMirror Contributor
Posted inHealth
Obamacare Q&A: Health insurance deadlines and taxes
Here’s what you need to know about the March 31 deadline for buying coverage, how you can qualify for a special enrollment period if something changes and you need insurance after the deadline, the penalty for not having coverage and how to get an exemption from the individual mandate.
Posted inHealth
Emergency responders, disability advocates back end-of-life care proposal for CT
A high-profile “assisted suicide” proposal has captured much attention and controversy in the state Capitol. But many people believe another end-of-life care proposal has a better chance of becoming law this year.
Posted inHealth
Latest Obamacare confusion: Exchange plan provider networks
The rollout of the federal health law in Connecticut has been smoother than in many parts of the country, but it hasn’t been without hiccups. The latest one: finding providers who take the new coverage.
Posted inHealth
Access Health CT has 152,561 enrollees; not clear how many were uninsured
More than 150,000 Connecticut residents have signed up for private insurance plans sold through the state’s health insurance exchange and for Medicaid since Oct. 1, according to Access Health CT, the state’s exchange.
Posted inHealth
Obamacare Q&A: Exchange deadlines, insurance options and tax credits
What you need to know about the end of the 2014 open enrollment period, the insurance options you’ll have once it’s over, when you’ll face a penalty if you don’t get covered and the possibility of getting federal financial help buying a health plan outside the exchange.
Posted inHealth
Proposal to let nurse practitioners practice independently advances
A controversial proposal that would allow nurse practitioners to practice independent of doctors cleared the legislature’s Public Health Committee Monday.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Latest Obamacare tweak could revive CT debate on extending health plans
The federal government now says that people who renewed their health plans late last year to avoid having to buy new plans that comply with the federal health law can keep them for an extra two years — but only if their states allow it.
Posted inHealth
Analysis: Obamacare won’t replace Connecticut’s mental health cuts
An early analysis suggests that the assumptions behind a $15.2 million cut to mental health and substance abuse treatment services in this year’s budget aren’t being realized and could leave some service providers with significantly less funding than lawmakers intended.
Posted inHealth
CT Mission of Mercy free dental clinic targets pregnant women
Hoping to correct myths and promote better care, the organizers of the Connecticut Mission of Mercy dental clinic are planning a special section for pregnant women at this year’s free clinic in Hartford.
Posted inHealth
For some new Medicaid clients, delays getting care, prescriptions
People who are deemed eligible for Medicaid get a letter to use as proof of coverage until their insurance ID cards arrive, but some have found that pharmacies and doctors won’t accept it, leaving them unable to get care or medication.
Posted inHealth
Feds consider scaling back Medicaid estate recovery
For some adults, getting Medicaid coverage means that when they die, the state could claim some or all of their assets to repay the medical care they received. That’s left some people who qualify for the program under the federal health law wary of joining. And now the federal government, concerned about the effect on enrollment, plans to explore scaling back the practice.
Posted inHealth
CT mental health clinics brace for state cuts tied to Obamacare
While Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has touted a proposal to increase spending on mental health services, agencies that run mental health and substance abuse clinics are bracing for more than $10 million in cuts to state grants starting July 1. And they say the cut could mean treating fewer people.
Posted inHealth
Access Health CT marketing Obamacare “exchange in a box”
Connecticut’s health insurance exchange has run more smoothly than many of its counterparts across the country and now officials at the state’s insurance marketplace are in discussions about franchising the system to other states.
Posted inHealth
Access Health CT Spanish-language website to launch Friday
After months of delays, the Spanish-language website for Connecticut’s health insurance exchange is slated to be available Friday.
