Statewide, 90 percent of the hospitals will have their reimbursements reduced in the 2020 fiscal year that began Oct. 1.
Hospitals
Posted inHealth
Lobbying war stalls Congress’ attempt to end ‘surprise medical bills’
Connecticut has a tough state law to protect residents from surprise medical bills, but not tough enough to protect everyone.
Posted inMoney
Lembo urges caution despite $126M budget surplus
In his first budget forecast of the new fiscal year, Comptroller Kevin P. Lembo warned Tuesday that the $126 million projected budget surplus isn’t all good news.
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Senate approves bill requiring nursing homes to disclose staffing levels
The state Senate has advanced a bill to require nursing homes to disclose every day the number of direct-care staff members assigned to patients.
Posted inMoney
Lamont presents $43 billion, two-year plan to legislators
The two-year state budget lays the groundwork for tolls, shifts more pension debt onto future taxpayers, deals another blow to hospitals, but closes a multi-billion dollar shortfall without raising the income tax.
Posted inHealth
Hospital tax poses huge challenge for first Lamont budget
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.
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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.
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CT hospitals collect $1.2B in outpatient facility fees over three years
Connecticut hospitals and health networks have received an estimated $1.2 billion in outpatient facility fees from 2015 through 2017, according to data announced on Tuesday. These fees are collected for a wide-range of services, including oncology, eye surgery, psychotherapy and primary care, provided at off-site facilities run by hospitals and health networks.
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.
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Clock ticking on a bipartisan scramble to curb drug costs
With only two weeks left in the legislative session, a Democratic lawmaker and the state comptroller are feverishly working to bring to the House floor proposed legislation that is considered Connecticut’s most comprehensive effort so far to control high prescription drug costs.
Posted inMoney
Hospital tax could complicate CT deficit, but income tax receipts keep rising
While Connecticut learned Friday that surging state income tax receipts now are running $1.03 billion more than anticipated — $116 million better than Thursday’s forecast — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy disclosed the state has a pretty hefty accounting problem equal to about $150 million.
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Malloy would cancel hospital tax cut, but again tighten Medicare program eligibility
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s new budget would cancel a planned tax reduction for Connecticut’s hospitals two years from now to help reduce big deficits down the road. The governor’s proposal falso would leave in place new eligibility restrictions lawmakers ordered last fall for the popular Medicare Savings Plan.
Posted inMoney
Malloy signs budget bill, but there’s this one other thing…
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed a bill Tuesday that makes technical budget revisions he forced through a line-item veto, but he also raised a new complaint: The legislature improperly transferred a $2.9 million children’s health program to an account funded by assessments on the insurance industry.
Posted inHealth, Money, Politics
House gives final approval to CT budget fix
The House of Representatives overwhelmingly gave final approval Wednesday to a measure fixing technical flaws with the hospital tax, a renters’ rebate program and other aspects of the new state budget.
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.