Data from the Connecticut Insurance Department show that more than half the people who bought their own health insurance last year have maintained their old policies. But more than 50,000 of them won’t be able to keep their health plans beyond this year, potentially setting up a repeat of last fall’s turmoil and frustration among people whose policies were discontinued.
Affordable Care Act
Posted inPolitics
Hopkins-Cavanagh takes on Courtney in a long-shot bid
Like many challengers, Lori Hopkins-Cavanagh is short on campaign cash and name recognition and long on ideas, enthusiasm and disgust with the way things are run in Washington D.C.
“I’ve got quite a mountain to climb,” said Hopkins-Cavanagh, a Republican, of her bid to win the 2nd District seat in Congress.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Obama to require CT federal contractors to disclose gender pay gaps
WASHINGTON – Continuing to use his executive authority to bypass a recalcitrant Congress, President Obama on Thursday proposed a new rule that would require federal contractors and subcontractors to disclose more information about pay to male and female employees.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Malloy celebrates drop in uninsured, credits Obamacare
The percentage of Connecticut residents without health coverage has dropped by half since 2012, prior to implementation of the Affordable Care Act, according to a survey by the state’s health exchange and a Gallup poll that found the state with one of the nation’s 10 largest reductions.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Ten things John McKinney thinks about health care
As governor, John McKinney said, he’d side more with consumers on insurance-related matters, privatize social services and ask state employees to accept less costly health insurance. He’s critical of Obamacare, but didn’t cite any specific ways he’d change how Connecticut handles it. And he cited personal experiences in explaining his views on certain issues, including physician-assisted suicide and the need to improve patient safety in hospitals.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Ten things Tom Foley thinks about health care
The Republican candidate for governor talks assisted suicide, the need for more mental institutions, hospital changes, Obamacare, the cost of Medicaid, and why private sector thinking could help cure the state’s health care woes.
Posted inHealth
Insurance department rejects Anthem rate hike, lowers others
The Connecticut Insurance Department rejected Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s request to raise individual-market premiums by an average of 12.5 percent next year, deeming the proposal excessive and directing the carrier to submit new rate proposals for review.
Posted inNews
Washington Watch — Week of July 27
In the last week of work before Congress’s August recess, there will be a lot of finger-pointing concerning who is responsible for failing to get must-pass legislation approved, including a final highway bill, and legislation that would deal with the surge of unaccompanied minors crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
Posted inMoney
ACA requires CT insurers to issue $3 million in rebates
WASHINGTON – Thousands of Connecticut residents will get rebate checks or other types of credit from their health insurance companies. They are getting those refunds because the federal government says they paid too much for coverage.
Posted inHealth
Obamacare’s big day in court means little for CT
Two federal courts issued conflicting rulings regarding Obamacare Tuesday, but their decisions aren’t expected to directly affect Connecticut residents.
Posted inHealth
Access Health CT finds glitch behind cancellations
When officials at Connecticut’s health insurance exchange learned about customers having problems with their coverage in May, they thought they were isolated cases. But now the exchange has discovered a programming flaw behind coverage problems affecting thousands of people.
Posted inHealth
Federal auditors question Access Health CT’s internal controls
Federal auditors reported Tuesday that they found deficiencies in the internal controls used by the health insurance exchanges run by Connecticut, California and the federal government. The problems could have limited the marketplaces’ ability to prevent people from using inaccurate or fraudulent information when applying for Obamacare coverage.
Posted inHealth
GAO: CT small businesses paid more than most others for health care
WASHINGTON – Federal researchers have determined that Connecticut’s small businesses and non-profits pay more than those in nearly every other state – except Alaska – to provide health care coverage to their workers.
Posted inHealth
Anthem links rate hike proposal to Hepatitis C drugs, state law
Updated 1:50 p.m. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield officials said Friday that the company needs to raise rates on its individual-market policies by an average of 12.5 percent to account for rising pharmaceutical costs, particularly costly new Hepatitis C drugs. Customers, meanwhile, blasted the company for proposing to raise prices on coverage they say is already unaffordable.