Critics say Malloy’s proposal to cut Medicaid is financially short-sighted and threatens to undermine recent progress in a program that has added thousands of new members as part of the federal health law, expanded the network of providers willing to treat them, and reduced its per-client costs.
Medicaid
Posted inHealth
Medicaid clients, seniors, health care providers face cuts under governor’s plan
About 34,000 parents would lose Medicaid coverage. Seniors would have to pay more for home care. The state would abandon a plan to better coordinate care for the costliest Medicaid clients and most health care providers that treat Medicaid patients would face a pay cut. It is all part of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s aim to save hundreds of millions of dollars through cuts to health care and social service programs.
Posted inMoney, Politics
The Malloy solution: Deep cuts, new tax revenue, deferred promises
The biennial budget Gov. Dannel P. Malloy intends to propose today would erase a two-year, $2.5 billion shortfall with $1.6 billion in spending cuts and $900 million in additional revenue, an attempt to say he is equitably spreading pain while keeping a pledge not to raise taxes. Malloy, a Democrat re-elected last fall, is proposing a three-pronged approach to his second fiscal crisis in four years: deep spending cuts, combined with additional revenue raised by deferring promised tax cuts and boosting tax receipts without changing rates.
Posted inHealth
6 health care things to watch for in Malloy’s budget proposal
Many people who work in or advocate for health care and social services are bracing for a tough year, even as some make pitches for increased funding. Here are six things to watch for.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Preserve Connecticut’s Medicaid funding
As the countdown begins to the Feb. 18 release of the state budget by Gov. Dannel Malloy, the health and well-being of our Medicaid patients and the future sustainability of the Medicaid program lie in the balance.
Posted inHealth
5 things to know about Medicaid spending in CT
There are many reasons why everyone in Connecticut should care about Medicaid, the health care program that covers one in five state residents and represents one of the largest chunks of state spending. Here are five things to know.
Posted inHealth
Advocates: Medicaid’s autism coverage plan would keep kids from services
Advocates say the state’s proposed regulations for autism treatment coverage contain so many potential barriers that many children would be unlikely to get services, face major delays in treatment or struggle to find a provider who could meet the requirements.
Posted inHealth, Money, Politics
Insurers’ financial health improves post-Affordable Care Act
WASHINGTON — As House Republicans once again voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act this week, there was further evidence the controversial bill is contributing to the good health of some of the nation’s major health insurers.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Murphy blasts GOP alternative to Affordable Care Act
Washington – As the Senate’s chief defender of the Affordable Care Act, Sen. Chris Murphy took a sledgehammer to a GOP alternative Thursday. “It would mean the retraction of health care for millions of Americans, “ he said.
Posted inHealth, Money, Politics
Children’s Hospital gets $10M extra from CT, raising eyebrows
A new $10 million grant for the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, approved Thursday – without going through the legislature and despite a state budget deficit – sparked new questions about its legality and fairness.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Lembo reports CT budget deficit shrinks to $32M
The state budget deficit shrank modestly over the past month to $32 million, Comptroller Kevin P. Lembo reported Friday. But the state’s chief fiscal watchdog also noted that the deficit would have been larger were the budget not bolstered somewhat by borrowing that has become increasingly controversial in recent years.
Posted inHealth
DSS said to have continued thousands on Medicaid without ensuring they were still eligible
The state Department of Social Services continued providing Medicaid coverage to thousands of people for more than a year without checking whether they remained eligible, as is federally required, according to a contractor who recently left the department.
Posted inHealth
DSS phone wait time drops (to 66 minutes)
Nearly two thirds of callers who wanted to speak to a worker at the state Department of Social Services hung up before getting through, but that, too, was an improvement over previous months. In September, 64 percent of callers who wanted to reach a worker hung up first, compared to 71 percent in August and 75 percent in July.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Ten things Dan Malloy thinks about health care
The latest in a series of interviews on health care with candidates for governor: As governor, Dannel P. Malloy said he’s managed to avoid the cuts to health care and social services that some counterparts in other states made. He says the care of those who most rely on the state weighs heavily on his mind. But the first Democratic governor in 20 years has also faced criticism for his handling of certain health care issues, including from some of the left-leaning advocates his party usually counts on.
Posted inHealth
Need to reach a DSS worker? Can you hold for 78 minutes?
More than a year after the state Department of Social Services changed its phone system, people who rely on it say it remains unacceptably difficult to reach a worker. Last month, callers looking to speak to a person waited on hold an average of 78 minutes. And 71 percent hung up first.