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Lamont exploring Medicaid managed care, but many push back
Katy Golvala, The Connecticut Mirror, July 25
Governor Ned Lamont is exploring the possibility of returning the state’s Medicaid program to a model known as managed care. Connecticut currently uses a managed fee-for-service model in which the state pays providers directly for services delivered to Medicaid beneficiaries. Under the managed care model, the state instead pays a set monthly fee per member to insurance companies to manage the Medicaid program, and the insurance companies pay providers. Critics, including legislators, advocates, and hospital officials worry that the managed care model would increase costs and reduce access, and some say it would distract from the need to increase rates paid to providers.
National program to improve diversity in medical research hosts aims to recruit Hartford participants
Natasha Sokoloff, CT Insider, July 24
An initiative to improve diversity in medical research is on a national tour to historically underrepresented communities and has made a stop in Hartford. It is the first time the National Institutes of Health mobile research exhibit tour has been to Connecticut. The goal is to recruit people for a research program and spread the word about the importance of representation in research. “Healthcare is not one size fits all, which it notoriously has been in the past. And our goal is to change that,” said Jen Rellora, a specialist with the program. Participants will eventually receive the results of their DNA tests and will learn about their risks for certain health conditions and genetic ancestry among other findings.
More money could result in fewer trips to ER, study suggests
Devna Bose, The Associated Press, July 22
A new study looked at a group of nearly 3,000 low-income people who applied for a lottery to receive cash in an area particularly affected by COVID-19. Researchers found that those who received the money had 27% fewer visits to an emergency room compared with those who didn’t receive the monthly payments. A study author said the recipients’ financial stability seemed to decrease their stress levels, which generally improved their health, leading to fewer emergency room trips. Experts said this appears to be one of the first papers to link the health benefits of higher income over time to a reduction in health care costs and spending.
Parents don’t get instructions for babies. But in Oregon, they now get a nurse
Cory Turner, NPR, July 23
A new program slowly rolling out across Oregon offers any family with a new baby no-cost visits at home with a trained nurse. It is the state’s response to the United States’ high infant and maternal mortality rate. After birth, the only support many families in the U.S. can count on is the occasional, 15-minute check-in at the pediatrician’s office. Oregon’s program, Family Connects, aims to change that by allowing parents to ask their nurse whatever questions they may have and have their needs addressed. Research from Durham, North Carolina where the program first began, shows several benefits, including a drop in the number of trips new parents were making to the emergency room.