Across the Country in ACA World - Sept No. 1

1. The Sept 4 DOI info hearing on rate filings for AHCT plans will be live-streamed on CT-N.  The hearing starts at 9 am.
   
2. Connecticut ranks 1st in the nation for Health Care Access and 3rd for Health Care overall, according to US News & World Report’s “Best States” analysis.  The health care ranking comprises metrics on: Health Care Access; Health Care Quality (CT ranked 14th), and Public Health (CT ranked 6th).   
   
3. Covered California makes extensive OE data readily available in downloadable spreadsheets, including 9 separate tabs, that the media share in their articles. E.g., “According to Covered California data, more than 50,000 Bay Area residents used the portal to sign up for health insurance last year.”  California has also started publicizing the need to prepare for its new individual health care mandate.
   
4. NASHP highlighted Connecticut, with Oregon, as two states that require hospitals to go further to invest in their communities.  In return for billions of dollars’ worth of federal and state tax exemptions, nonprofit hospitals are required to invest in activities and services that benefit their communities.  CT’s Certificate of Need process, managed by the Office of Health Strategy, requires hospitals to show in a public document how they directly tie community benefit spending to community needs — determined by the community itself — and align with CT’s State Health Improvement Plan. 
   
5. Idaho’s §1332 waiver application to expand Medicaid was rejected by CMS on Aug 29.  See CMS Rejects Idaho Waiver As Incomplete.     
   
6. Rhode Island publicized its 7th rank in the 2019 US Health Outcomes in the report released by the Commonwealth Fund. HealthSource RI was mentioned in the ProJo article.  Connecticut was ranked 5th in the same report.