State News

Illinois’ inaugural round of Healthcare Transformation Collaboratives funding has allocated state funds to eight healthcare collaboratives, reports ABC 20. The goal of this influx of funding is to reorient healthcare in the state to reduce healthcare inequities, improve health outcomes, address social determinants of health and improve underserved communities’ access to quality healthcare. This program was set up following the passage of the Healthcare Transformation Collaboratives Public Act 101-650 in March 2021 that sought to develop these collaboratives to invest in underserved communities and increase access to community-based health services.

Several pieces of South Dakota legislation went into effect July 1, 2021, including telehealth flexibilities and price transparency according to DRGNews.com. Improved telehealth rules are intended to improve services for rural communities. Price transparency legislation is intended to equip consumers with actual costs for procedures and prescription drugs, as well as real-time information on cost-sharing requirements, according to AARP.

A popular home test to screen for colon cancer has come with an unexpected bill for some people - leading to fears they may put off life-saving treatment, reports CBS News. While experts say Cologuard is a good screening tool, some users have faced a high bill, like Missouri resident Lianne Bryant did when she received a bill of $1,900 from the hospital that performed her subsequent colonoscopy, due to her positive Cologuard result. Under the Affordable Care Act, only routine screening tests are covered, and because Bryant's Cologuard result was positive, her colonoscopy was coded as a diagnostic test, which was not fully covered by her insurance. She would have been fully covered had she not used Cologuard first. Experts worry that when people find out their colonoscopies might not be covered, they won't get them. 

Oregon lawmakers passed legislation that will require healthcare providers to be reimbursed at the same rate for telehealth services as in-person services, according to the Lund Report. The law, HB 2508, comes during the coronavirus pandemic, when use of telehealth services increased significantly.

Connecticut’s Office of Health Strategy (OHS), tasked with reducing health disparities within the state, will receive $3.3 million of a $17 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reports NBC Connecticut. The grant money will be spent on work by OHS and community organizations, focusing on reducing maternal and nutritional disparities, food insecurity and overcoming language and transportation barriers. Much of the grant money will go to addressing these issues in communities of color, as people of color experience significant health disparities often caused by social determinants of health.

Connecticut has no statewide standards for the way its medical facilities gather, report and use patient data on race, ethnicity and language, reports the CT Mirror. Though collecting these data won’t by itself solve health disparities, a new report commissioned by the Connecticut Health Foundation explains that this step enables providers to target gaps in care experienced by people of color. The foundation stressed that collecting and analyzing such data can lead to better care and reduce inequities. While many Connecticut healthcare systems do collect some of this data, the amounts vary, and fewer organizations are using the information to address care disparities. Connecticut recently passed a bill that would require the improved collection of this data among state agencies, boards and commissions, in a way that allows for aggregation and disaggregation, as well as other mandates on data collection.

Approximately 18 percent (or 165,000) of households in Connecticut with adults under the age of 65 face unaffordable healthcare costs, reports CT News Junkie. These data, from a report issued by the Office of Health Strategy and the Office of the State Comptroller, show that many families in the state are spending more for healthcare than they can afford. An estimated 42 percent of households who purchase their insurance through the state’s insurance exchange face costs that exceed the affordability target, while 16 percent of households with employer-sponsored insurance experience the same burden. Officials revealed a new tool to help lower these costs, the CT Healthcare Affordability Index, which measures the impact of healthcare costs on a household’s ability to afford all basic needs.

A new report from the Center for Improving Value in Health Care shows that Colorado could save up to $140 million annually and reduce potential harm to patients by minimizing low-value healthcare services, reports abouthealthtransparency.org. The report analyzed claims from 2015-2017 from Colorado’s APCD for both private and public health insurance and found that 1.36 million Coloradans received one or more low-value care service and more than half (53%) of the care was identified as wasteful or likely wasteful. The report found the top low-value services in Colorado were concurrent use of antipsychotics and opioid use for back pain.

Vermont has spent $29.8 million supporting OneCare, the state’s only accountable care organization, and has yet to realize any healthcare savings as a result, reports the Burlington Free Press. These findings, from a final report from the state auditor, will influence the state’s decision by the end of 2021 whether to continue the program for another five years. OneCare Vermont is supposed to cut the cost of healthcare by keeping people healthier through more preventative care. Also, rather than receiving a fee for service, healthcare providers receive lump sum payments that should encourage them to be more efficient in providing care. However, there has been no complete analysis on the program from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees the program. The Agency of Human Services, however, believes that these early-years' operating costs should not be a leading factor in determining whether the state should enter into a subsequent agreement.