Connecticut Health Insurance

How healthy is living
in Connecticut?

Connecticut climbed another spot closer to the top spot – ranking #3 among U.S. states – according to the 2011 edition of America's Health Rankings® from the United Health Foundation.

The good news:

• Connecticut has the second best ranking for obesity in the nation (though the number obese adults in Connecticut has risen by about 190,000 over the past decade).
• The percentage of smoking adults decreased from 15.4 percent to 13.2 percent over the past year.

The bad news:

• The percentage of adults with diabetes climbed from 6.6 percent to 7.3 percent compared to a year ago.
• Connecticut's infant mortality rate has risen over the past five years – from 5.5 to 6.3 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Connecticut's best and worst category rankings:

• Immunization Coverage – 1st
• Obesity – 2nd
• Children in Poverty – 2nd
• Smoking – 3rd
• Infectious Disease – 3rd
• Binge Drinking – 43rd

more details

• See the United Health Foundation's latest findings on Connecticut.
• Trust for America's Health ia another source for key Connecticut health quality findings. In addition, 2010's federal health reform, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), included the creation of a prevention fund to provide more than $16 billion over the next 10 years to invest in effective, proven prevention efforts, like childhood obesity prevention and tobacco cessation, and the site has a report on how it impacts Connecticut here.

get local health results

State snapshot too large? Get county-by-county health rankings for Connecticut, from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Population Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin.

Does Connecticut have a health insurance high risk pool?

Connecticut Health Reinsurance Association
Toll-free 1-800-842-0004 (M-F 9am-4pm EST)

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Starting in 2010, Connecticut started offering health care insurance coverage to residents through the federally established temporary high-risk pool program. To find out more about Connecticut's participation, click here.

Risk pools are state-sponsored programs to help people with a history of medical problems in their family to purchase coverage. These pools are for people who can afford to buy health insurance, but are not able to get underwritten in the private market because of a pre-existing health condition. These programs can vary significantly from state to state in price, benefits and number of people served. Often insurance companies doing business in the state are required to contribute to the pool to keep it in the black. In the best cases, they allow people to be able to switch jobs or become self-employed without the fear of losing their health insurance coverage. Read more about risk pools here.

Non-profit sources of health insurance information for Connecticut

• The Foundation for Health Coverage Education's mission is to provide simplified public and private health insurance eligibility information in order to help more people access coverage. Here is its guide to guide on how to find health insurance in Connecticut.
• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is tracking the progress of health insurance reform in each state. Its page for Connecticut can be found here.
• The National Committee for Quality Assurance is a private, non-profit organization that, among other things, provides health care plan report cards for consumers. Search for Connecticut health insurance plan report cards.

Connecticut state government health insurance resources

Office of Health Reform & Innovation —  How the state will implement the provisions of the Affordable Care Act.

Connecticut Medicaid —  The government program designed to help poor and indigent get health care. Pregnant women and children ages 18 and under who meet income requirements may be eligible for coverage, along with the aged, blind, and disabled. For more information about eligibility, contact your local Department of Social Services office. Read the rest of this entry [...]

Connecticut HUSKY Plan —  The state Children’s Health Insurance Program provides health insurance for children 18 and under whose family meets income guidelines. Parents, relatives, caregivers and pregnant women can also qualify for coverage.

Connecticut Insurance Department —  Official government Web site for department responsible for oversight of insurance companies doing business in Connecticut. Make a consumer complaint against health insurance companies in Connecticut. The state government publishes this list of Connecticut consumer health insurance links. Connecticut has this information on insurance issues for military personnel.

Connecticut CHOICES Program —  Connecticut CHOICES Program provides free counseling for Medicare beneficiaries with questions.

How did Connecticut officials vote on health reform?

H.R.2: Repealing the Health Care Bill

#14

Date of Vote: 1/19/2011 Status: House passed 245-189, 1 not voting

HOUSE|SENATE

1/19/2011--Passed House amended. Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act - Repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, effective as of its enactment. Restores provisions of law amended by such Act. Repeals the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education and Reconciliation Act of 2010, effective as of the Act's enactment. Restores provisions of law amended by the Act's health care provisions. [more]

Our
Pick

No (5)

• Joe Courtney
• Rosa DeLauro

• James Himes
• John Larson

• Christopher Murphy