To get these headlines delivered to your inbox every week, sign up for our weekly health news roundup.
Explaining Medicaid, Connecticut’s HUSKY program and what’s next
Cris Villalonga-Vivoni, CT Insider, July 6
Medicaid is more commonly known as HUSKY in Connecticut, and is made up of four programs with different eligibility requirements. It covers residents of every city and town in the state. HUSKY helps to address racial health disparities by providing communities that have experienced a historical lack of investment with access to the health care system. “We know that if an individual is continuously covered by insurance, that is one mechanism for reducing disparities because it gives individuals access to the healthcare services that they need,” said Tiffany Donelson, president and CEO of the Connecticut Health Foundation. “I’m not saying that it’s perfect, but it allows them the ability to gain access to our system, especially for important things.”
Cuts in Trump bill could slam CT’s health centers: ‘Going to really devastate us’
Alex Putterman, New Haven Register, July 9
Medicaid and Affordable Care Act cuts in the federal spending bill signed into law will result in tens of thousands of people in Connecticut losing health care coverage. It will also have significant consequences for the providers who will continue to treat these patients but will no longer be reimbursed for doing so. Community health centers, which often treat low-income patients, could face particular challenges. Loss of funding from Medicaid could lead to cuts to programs and services many people depend on.
Rural hospitals brace for financial hits or even closure under Republicans’ $1 trillion Medicaid cut
Margery A. Beck and Susan Haigh, The Associated Press, July 4
States and rural health advocacy groups warn that cuts to Medicaid will hit already fragile rural hospitals hard and could force hundreds to close. One analysis estimates more than 300 hospitals could be at risk of closure, leaving people in remote areas without any nearby emergency care. In Connecticut, Day Kimball Hospital in Putnam is among those that could face significant challenges. “You’ve got, I’m sure, thousands of people who rely on Day Kimball Hospital. If it closed, thousands of people would have to go to another hospital,” said Bruce Shay, a Pomfret resident worried about the implications of Medicaid cuts. “That’s a huge load to suddenly impose on a hospital system that’s probably already stretched thin.”
‘People are going to die’: Medicaid changes poised to cut access for cancer patients, CT expert says
Sujata Srinivasan, Connecticut Public Radio, July 2
Thousands of breast cancer patients covered by Medicaid could lose access to health care as a result of cuts to the program. The American Cancer Society warns that the reductions will make it harder for people to receive preventive services, cancer screenings, treatments, and more. “I believe that people are going to die,” said Dr. Rachel Greenup, chief of breast surgery at Yale’s Smilow Cancer Hospital. Black women are 40% more likely to die from all types of breast cancer compared to white women. That’s despite being diagnosed with breast cancer at similar rates.
Foreign medical residents fill critical positions at US hospitals, but are running into visa issues
Adithi Ramakrishnan and Devi Shastri, The Associated Press, July 4
Some hospitals in the U.S. are without essential staff because international doctors who were set to start their medical training were delayed by new travel and visa restrictions. This comes as the U.S. is already projected to face a physician shortage in the next 11 years. Foreign medical residents fill critical gaps in the health care system. It’s unclear how many have been unable to start their assignments due to the new restrictions. However, some foreign medical residents report that U.S. embassies have been slow to open up interview slots while some have not opened up any. “You lose out on the time you could have used to treat patients,” said one resident from Pakistan, who matched to an internal medicine program in Massachusetts.