Federal officials say a plan to cut nearly $4 billion in Medicare funding to nursing homes is just a correction to curb unanticipated overspending. Critics say it’s a wrongheaded move that could force staff cuts and lead some homes to close. And even some experts who say the cut is justified worry about its consequences […]
Nursing home cut a lesson in health-care complexity
Posted inHealth
Primary care doctors sue over Medicare rates
Six primary care doctors in Georgia have filed a lawsuit aimed at changing the way Medicare payments to doctors are established, Joe Eaton reports for The Center for Public Integrity’s iWatch News. At the heart of the dispute is a little-known body known as the Specialty Society Relative Value Update Committee, or RUC. The committee, […]
Posted inNews
Malloy minimizes effect of U.S. credit downgrade on Connecticut
The market tanked today, a drop that many analysts attributed to the downgrade of the U.S. credit rating. But Gov. Dannel P. Malloy took a more bullish view with a statement issued this afternoon: “While Standard & Poor’s downgrade of our country’s debt is clearly not good news, we in Connecticut have a few things […]
Posted inMoney
Will S&P downgrade of US credit rating affect states?
As financial experts examine the impact of the weekend downgrade of the federal government’s credit rating, ranging from the reaction of foreign markets to the effect on mortgage rates, states also are wondering whether they will be adversely affected as well, John Gramlich says at Stateline.org. And the answer isn’t clear. Moody’s Investors Service warned […]
Posted inAnnouncements
Connecticut News Project expands board
The Connecticut News Project, publisher of The Connecticut Mirror, is pleased to announce the addition of two members to its Board of Directors.
Posted inNews
DCF says it has plan to reduce use of group facilities for children
The Department of Children and Families on Friday announced plans to reduce the number of children sent to live in large group facilities by up to 15 percent, saying congregate care “should be used sparingly and for the shortest possible amount of time.” “We are talking about children being cared for by a rotating shift […]
Posted inNews
Taxing the rich makes state revenue stream more volatile
Advocates for a more progressive state income tax won key battles in 2009 and again this spring as new top rates place even higher burdens on Connecticut’s wealthiest households. But that came with a price: Nearly 40 percent of the state’s chief revenue source now stems from a quarterly payment system that largely reflects the […]
Posted inNews
Health care providers wary as ‘super committee’ tackles debt
WASHINGTON–The debt-reduction deal passed by Congress this week may have eased concerns about default, but it has ratcheted up anxiety on other fronts–particularly among health care providers. Doctors, hospitals, and others in the health care industry are deeply worried about how the agreement–in particular, a second phase of deep spending cuts to be outlined later […]
Posted inNews
Taking care of cancer patients once the disease is gone
Keith Bellizzi remembers that day in the hospital well. Not long before, his goal had been to make lots of money in business, and he was on the way to doing it. Then, at 24, he was diagnosed with kidney and testicular cancer. “It redefined who I was as a person, and it gave me […]
Posted inHealth, Money
DPH: Funeral home licensing won’t be cut
The state Department of Public Health says it will not stop licensing funeral homes, funeral directors or embalmers, despite announcing plans earlier in the week to do so. On Monday, the department released a statement detailing its plans for cutting $20.6 million over two years. It said that, “DPH will no longer license funeral homes, […]
Posted inHealth, Money
Walmart, Dunkin’ Donuts top employers of HUSKY recipients
Walmart, Dunkin’ Donuts, Stop & Shop, McDonald’s, and the First Student transportation company employ the most workers whose families rely on the state’s HUSKY health insurance program for low-income children and their parents, according to a report by the nonpartisan Office of Legislative Research. The report identified the 25 companies with the most employees who […]
Posted inHealth
St. Francis, Johnson Memorial to explore affiliation
The parent companies of Hartford’s St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center and Johnson Memorial Hospital in Stafford Springs are exploring an affiliation, the latest in a series of possible hospital mergers and alliances in the state. According to a statement released by the two organizations, the proposed affiliation would “help maintain an inpatient hospital presence […]
Posted inNews
The governor’s ‘180’ on Oxford Airport
This week, Gov. Dannel Malloy said he thinks developing the area surrounding Oxford Airport is a good idea. About two weeks ago, the governor vetoed a bill that would do just that. Why the sudden change of heart? That was the question many greater Waterbury residents were left asking after the governor’s 180-degree turn. The […]
Posted inNews
DMV delays branch closings, layoffs, until after concession revote
The state Department of Motor Vehicles will delay planned closings of branch offices and other facilities in eight communities – and layoffs of department workers — until Aug 19 and 20 to await the results of a union concession vote that could make them unnecessary, according to a department statement released this afternoon. The announcement […]
Posted inNews
Political paralysis in Washington grounds work at state airport
WASHINGTON–After essentially deferring hard decisions on budget cuts, Congress went on vacation this week without resolving an impasse over reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration–a move that is costing the government millions in lost taxes, keeping thousands of workers off their jobs, and leaving a small Connecticut airport waiting for a safety upgrade and runway […]