One of the more difficult items on Gov. Ned Lamont’s initial to-do list is to craft a new taxing arrangement with Connecticut’s hospitals — and the stakes are huge.
Connecticut Hospital Association
Posted inHealth
More than half of CT health care systems in the black in 2017
Nine of the 16 health systems in Connecticut ended 2017 in the black, according to a report by the state Office of Health Strategy. Collectively, the systems took in about $14.2 billion in the fiscal year that ended on Sept. 30, 2017. After expenses, this left about $580 million — a 4 percent total margin.
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CT docs say health information exchange would help fight opioid epidemic
As Connecticut residents continue to die from opioid overdoses at an alarming rate, several doctors agree that being able to share health records electronically across the entire state would help fight the epidemic. But a system to accommodate that sharing remains elusive.
Posted inHealth
Medicaid transportation contractor improving, but complaints continue
Veyo has made some marked improvements in recent months, but the company hired to oversee the transportation of Medicaid patients continues to be criticized for its performance and has been fined several times by the state for contract violations.
Posted inHealth
More ER docs turning to non-opioids to fight overdose epidemic
Emergency department physicians across the state are using more non-opioid treatments for conditions that historically have required powerful opioids for pain management, as they try to play a lead role in the overdose epidemic that kills on average 115 Americans every day. This change, coupled with other efforts, has resulted in a significant decrease in opioids ordered at emergency departments in at least two hospitals, Norwalk and Middlesex, from 2016 to 2017.
Posted inMoney
Malloy will release long-delayed hospital payments this week
Connecticut hospitals won’t have to wait until the summer’s end as they originally feared to receive close to $300 million in supplemental state payments.
Posted inMoney
Feds OK first stage of new Connecticut hospital taxing system
Connecticut received a key approval Friday for a new hospital taxing arrangement designed to draw $150 million in new federal money annually into the state’s coffers.
Posted inHealth
Call-wait times for medical transport better but complaints persist
After having experienced some hours-long wait times, Medicaid patients haven’t had to wait longer than 15 minutes for someone to pick up the phone when calling about medical transportation in the last two weeks, according to Josh Komenda, president of Veyo, the state’s new non-emergency medical transportation contractor. But that figure was immediately challenged.
Posted inHealth, Money
State, hospitals butt heads over proposed rate hikes
Connecticut hit another snag Wednesday as it tries to develop a new taxing arrangement with its hospitals that would leverage millions of dollars in new federal funding to help both the state and the industry.
Posted inHealth, Money, Politics
Senate passes hospital tax fix
The Senate voted unanimously Tuesday to fix a series of technical issues in the new state budget, including a flaw with the new hospital provider tax increase.
Posted inHealth, Money, Politics
Hospital lawsuit no longer an obstacle to new CT budget deal
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration clarified its position Thursday on a new taxing arrangement with Connecticut’s hospital industry — removing a key stumbling block to a new state budget in the process.
Posted inHealth, Money, Politics
Plan to leverage big federal aid for CT hospitals in limbo
The fate of a complex new taxing arrangement that would leverage hundreds of millions of federal dollars for the state and Connecticut hospitals to share hung in legal limbo Thursday.
Posted inHealth, Money, Politics
Key budget revenue-raiser faces looming expiration date
Raising taxes on hospitals to leverage more federal dollars, a key component of all plans to solve Connecticut’s budget crisis, could be in jeopardy if legislators don’t reach agreement by week’s end.
Posted inHealth, Money
CT’s hospitals see huge risk in Malloy’s fix for budget impasse
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s bid to end the state’s budget impasse hinges on convincing legislators to raise taxes on hospitals one more time — and trust supplemental payments to the industry won’t be cut afterward. Hospitals don’t like the gamble.
Posted inHealth, Money, Politics
CT hospitals rally to block tax hikes
Connecticut’s hospitals intensified their push Wednesday to block hundreds of millions of dollars in tax increases recommended for their industry by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.