HIT privacy bill watered significantly down

Last week the Public Health Committee made significant changes to SB 368, originally designed to protect consumers’ private health information. The bill would have required HITE CT, our state’s developing health information exchange, to get patient consent before sharing any medical records on the exchange. Termed opt-in, this privacy policy has been adopted by all our surrounding states and is working successfully to facilitate patient-centered care. In those states, more than nine out of ten patients agree to share their information. Vermont recently switched from an opt-out policy to opt-in. The alternative opt-out policy, supported by HITE CT, puts every consumers’ information into the system unless they exercise an option through an as-yet-undefined, but deeply underfunded process. Advocates testified in favor but large physician organizations and AARP opposed the bill. The substitute language adopted by the committee adds to HITE CT’s annual report information on how they will inform patients about how their medical information will be used and shared.

April web quiz – Alzheimer’s disease in CT

Test your knowledge of Alzheimer’s disease in CT. Take the April CT Health Policy Webquiz.

No increase in state employee health plan costs

The State Comptroller announced Thursday that premiums for the state employees’ medical, pharmacy and dental plans will not increase next fiscal year. Nationally employer health costs are expected to increase by five to six percent. The Comptroller credits the patient-centered medical home and Health Enhancement Program initiatives, lower emergency room visit rates, greater use of primary care, and pharmacy initiatives.

April CT Health Reform Dashboard -- 10.8% progress to date

This month again CT is making progress toward health reform. This month we are 10.8% of the way toward health reform. Unfortunately we are only up from 10.7% last month. At this rate, it will take 48 years to fully implement reform. Track CT’s progress on the CT Health Reform Dashboard at www.cthealthreform.org

Exchange advisory committees begin work

Last week the four CT Health Insurance Exchange advisory committees held their first meeting jointly. The meeting included a very good presentation on the basics of the exchange and a list of the decision points for each committee. The next advisory committee meetings, all public and all tentatively in Room 310 of the Capitol, will be:

Consumer Experience and Outreach
April 10th 9 to 11am

Brokers, Agents and Navigators
April 10th 12:30 to 2:30pm

Health Plan Benefits and Qualifications
April 11th 9 to 11am

Small Business Health Plan Options Program (SHOP)
TBD

Experience to inform health insurance exchange outreach

CT has a long and varied history of outreach programs; some worked very well and some were less successful. There is a great deal of experience available to the CT Health Insurance Exchange and their consultants to design a robust program that meets the needs of individuals and small businesses likely to enroll. As individuals will be required under federal law to purchase coverage, and 140,000 state residents will have to buy it on the exchange to access subsidies, it is vital that we learn from experience and not repeat mistakes. We’ve collected some of that experience in a new brief. We offer this experience to the Exchange to help ensure a viable, trusted Exchange is developed that makes serving its customers their first priority.

HIT privacy bill heard in Public Health Committee

An important bill, SB 368, had a public hearing Friday in the Public Health Committee. The bill would require HITE CT, our state’s developing health information exchange, to get patient consent before sharing any medical records on the exchange. Termed opt-in, this privacy policy has been adopted by all our surrounding states and is working successfully to facilitate patient-centered care. In those states, more than nine out of ten patients agree to share their information. Vermont recently switched from an opt-out policy to opt-in. ,. HITE-CT’s Board members adopted a controversial opt-out privacy policy in a contentious vote. The opt-out policy, where all information is shared by default unless the patient exercises an as-yet-undeveloped process to decline, would require every provider to “segment” or tag all information in every file that relates to ten sensitive conditions, such as HIV and behavioral health, and accept liability for getting that right. HITE CT’s own evaluation study recently found public opinion in CT supporting opt-in over opt-out. The Public Health committee heard from consumers, advocates and providers who support the patient-centered opt-in policy.