Connecticut health insurance

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status report:
Connecticut state health insurance exchange

What progress is being made in setting up its federally-mandated Connecticut state health insurance exchange?"

About state health insurance exchanges

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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

how healthy is living in Connecticut?

Connecticut climbed three spots closer to the top spot – ranking #4 among U.S. states – according to the 2010 edition of America's Health Rankings® from the United Health Foundation.

The good news:

• Connecticut has the lowest rate of children in poverty in the nation, at 10 percent of individuals under the age of 18.
• It also ranks among the top five states for all of the following categories: rate of obesity, occupational fatalities, immunization coverage, premature death, and geographic disparity.
• The prevalence of smoking – already low percentage in Connecticut – has seen a decline over the past ten years, and is now 15.4 percent of the population.
• Over the past several years, the state has seen decreases in the rates of deaths due to cardiovascular disease and cancer.

The bad news:

• Connecticut has particularly high rates of binge drinking (17.8 percent) and infectious disease (17.1 cases per 100,000 members of the population).
• Although its rate of uninsured population is low, it has seen an increase since last year from 9.7. percent to 11 percent of the overall population.

Connecticut's best and worst category rankings:

• Children in poverty – 1st
• Prevalence of obesity – 2nd
• Occupational fatalities – 2nd
• Immunization coverage – 2nd
• Geographic disparity – 2nd
• Prevalence of binge drinking – 40th

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.

how to find health insurance in Connecticut

Cover The Uninsured is a national effort to highlight the fact that too many Americans are living without health insurance and to demand solutions from our nation's leaders. Read more information on its efforts. It is a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

• Cover The Uninsured's facts on the uninsured in Connecticut and all other states.
• The Foundation for Health Coverage Education's guide on how to find health insurance in Connecticut.
• Materiales En Español – Guías para encontrar cobertura de seguro de salud.

Georgetown's Connecticut health insurance guide

Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute has researched and written state-by-state guides for finding and keeping health insurance. It updates these guides as federal and state policies change. A number of non-profit organizations help fund its research. Learn more about the Health Policy Institute.

Review Georgetown's guide for Connecticut.

Health insurance plan report cards for Connecticut

The National Committee for Quality Assurance is a private, non-profit organization that, among other things, provides health care plan report cards for consumers.

Go here to search for Connecticut health insurance plan report cards.

Connecticut government health insurance resources

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 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 CHOICES Program – provides free counseling for Medicare beneficiaries with questions.

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.

Health insurance reform groups in Connecticut

The Connecticut Coalition for Universal Health Care – represents citizen, labor, political, business, and health care professional organizations seeking universal health insurance for the state.

The Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut – an independent, nonprofit charity that sees its work as part of a larger movement for social and economic justice.

health care advocacy groups in Connecticut

University Health Care Foundation of Connecticut – Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut is a nonpartisan, nonprofit grant-making organization dedicated to achieving quality, affordable health care for everyone in Connecticut.