More than 11,000 Medicare enrollees in CT would have seen an average $590 savings if there was a monthly insulin cap in 2020.
Medicare
Posted inPolitics
Congress passes expanded health care benefits in sweeping bill
Insurers cited the end of enhanced federal ACA subsidies as the reason for rate hikes. But Congress was ready to pass a 3-year extension.
Posted inPolitics
A test for Blumenthal: Do voters appreciate his advocacy in a deadlocked Senate?
An unintended consequence of Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s advocacy for Medicare drug price reforms is that it underscores nothing has happened.
Posted inPolitics
Should nursing homes be told how to spend public funds? Some say yes
New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts adopted policies setting requirements for how much nursing homes must spend on resident care.
Posted inMoney
Lawmakers expect lean budget from Lamont. But how lean will it be?
Is Lamont dressing Connecticut in a budget that is adequate during a pandemic but fits like a strait-jacket afterward?
Posted inPolitics
Workers may see bigger paychecks under Trump plan, but Larson says there’s a price to pay
Under Trump’s plan, paychecks would be larger for the rest of this year, then shrink as deferred taxes are repaid.
Posted inHealth
To ‘keep the lights on,’ doctors and hospitals ask for advance Medicare payments
Health providers are reaching out for a lifeline to counteract the effects of the coronavirus outbreak.
Posted inHealth
ConnectiCare latest insurer to cover cost of coronavirus testing
Unlike some other governors, Ned Lamont can’t order insurance companies to cover coronavirus testing. But many have said they will.
Posted inHealth
Cigna first insurer to say it will pick up the tab for coronavirus testing
Now that private labs will begin testing patients for coronavirus, Connecticut’s insurers are being pressured to pick up the tab.
Posted inHealth
CT lawmakers hail U.S. House approval of prescription drug bill
The most controversial section of the bill would direct the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to directly negotiate with drugmakers on the price of medications covered under Medicare.
Posted inHealth
26 hospitals penalized by Medicare for high readmission rates
Statewide, 90 percent of the hospitals will have their reimbursements reduced in the 2020 fiscal year that began Oct. 1.
Posted inHealth
ACU promotes Trump’s end to drug rebates, CT insurers oppose plan
President Donald Trump wants to end a complex system of drug rebates to lower the cost of medicine, but health insurers say it won’t work.
Posted inHealth
Congress moves towards approval of massive anti-opioid bill
WASHINGTON – Congress is finally close to passing a comprehensive bill to combat opioid abuse, combining law enforcement and public health measures, including making addiction services more accessible. The massive bill, which includes provisions introduced by dozens of lawmakers, including Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, is considered a rare bipartisan accomplishment.
Posted inHealth
Drug prices keep rising despite efforts to address problem
Some days, the inflammation and pain from rheumatoid arthritis makes it almost impossible for Tracy Braun to even sit up. “Sometimes I can’t even get up on my own,” she said. Braun is among a growing number of Americans who are finding it difficult to afford needed medicines, and a solution to their problem in Washington D.C. may continue to be elusive.
Posted inHealth
After abuse scandal, CT lawmakers push to reform Whiting
About a year after cruel, ongoing abuse of a Whiting Forensic patient was revealed, the legislature’s Public Health Committee has reported out three bills aimed at reforming the state’s only maximum-security psychiatric facility by increasing transparency and oversight.