Public hearing on ER use and Medicaid

The Legislative Program Review and Investigations Committee will be holding a public hearing for their study of whether Medicaid consumers are over-using emergency dept. visits inappropriately and, if true, the impact on the state budget. If true, they will search for reasons including who is inappropriately using the ER, for what problems, and make recommendations. The hearing will be Sept. 26^th at 2:30 pm in Room 2D of the LOB.

New policy brief on “No wrong door” enrollment

A new brief by the CT Health Foundation describes “No Wrong Door” (NWD), the Affordable Care Act’s seamless plan for consumers to enroll in health coverage. NWD allows consumers seeking coverage to enter through an array of state agencies, be seamlessly routed to a common portal that will assess eligibility and needs, and connect them to the appropriate programs and resources for their circumstances. NWD is designed to simplify the dizzying array of programs and applications that consumers now have to navigate to participate in public coverage programs. Authors of the brief estimate that full implementation of NWD will result in about 20,000 more CT adults and 6,000 children with coverage, and will prevent another 36,000 state residents from losing coverage due to churning. It is expected that NWD will help close CT’s health equity gap by reaching people who might have remained uninsured.

Help design Connecticut’s health improvement plan

A broad coalition of stakeholders led by DPH is developing a plan for A Healthier CT by 2020 and we need your input. DPH is holding forums this fall in each CT county to get your input into the plan.

Tolland County: Sept. 10, Rockville High School Auditorium, 70 Loveland Mill Rd., Vernon

Windham County: Sept. 12, EASTCONN Capitol Theater, Magnet High School, 896 Main St., Willimantic

Hartford County: Sept. 24, Legislative Office Building, Room 2C, 300 Capitol Ave., Hartford

Litchfield County: Sept. 26, Torrington City Hall, Council Chambers, Rm. 218, 140 Main St., Torrington

Fairfield County: Oct. 8, Discovery Magnet School Cafeteria, 4510 Park Ave., Bridgeport

New Haven County: Oct. 10, Hill Regional Career High School, Auditorium, 140 Legion Ave., New Haven

New London County: Oct. 17, Three Rivers Community College, Multipurpose Rm F117, 574 New London Tpke, Norwich

Middlesex County: Oct. 21, CT Valley Hospital, Paige Hall Solarium, 1000 Silver St., Middletown

All forums are from 6 to 7pm; registration begins at 5:30pm. Registrations requested but walk-ins are welcome. To register go to http://ct.train.org (use ID# 1045492) or call 860-509-8070. 

New action guide on Community Health Workers

ICER has published an action guide, Community Health Workers: Applying the Evidence to Policy and Practice, to effectively incorporating Community Health Workers into the health system for the CHW workforce, insurers, and providers and organizations that employ CHWs. The guide, based on CPAC’s CHW effectiveness report, gives evidence-based action steps tailored to the needs of stakeholders to apply the best available evidence to policy and practice. ICER, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, provides independent evaluation of the clinical effectiveness and comparative value of new and emerging technologies.

 CEPAC, a project of ICER, is a New England stakeholder council that advises policymakers using comparative effectiveness research to improve the quality and value of health care in our region. CEPAC’s next meeting, December in Boston, will focus on supplemental screening in women with dense breast tissue.

September CT Health Policy Webquiz: CT health risks

Test your knowledge of the rates of health risks among CT adults. Take the September CT Health Policy Webquiz.

CT Mirror reports on SIM proposal – administration agenda and advocate concerns

An article yesterday in the CT Mirror describes the administration’s plans to apply for millions in federal dollars to radically redesign CT’s health care system – not just Medicaid and the state employee plan, but for all state residents. The article points out that the administration is working with providers and insurers to design the plan; consumers and advocates have not been included in the process. The plan includes important care delivery innovations, many building on inclusive past processes. However the plan also includes giving providers financial incentives to control costs. Advocates are concerned that there are not sufficient controls or data to ensure that savings are generated by reducing duplication, improving quality and eliminating overtreatment rather than withholding appropriate care. To protect consumers, a group of 24 advocates sent a letter asking the SIM proponents to build a robust monitoring system and quality improvement tools for providers, and ensure that that system is working before any provider savings incentives or capitation is implemented. There has been no response to the letter. 

CT Health Reform Progress Meter moves up to 23.7%

CT policymakers have completed 23.7% of the tasks necessary for health reform, making up for last month’s drop. Most tasks on the Progress Meter list are due on Jan.1^st of next year. Medicaid accounted for the forward progress in September’s Health Reform Dashboard. As last month, deep concerns about payment reform in the SIM process and the insurance exchange’s premium increases are holding Connecticut back.