Abortion

• Medicaid and Abortion - 2018-R-0260
  This report discusses the extent to which the state pays for abortions in its Medicaid programs. It updates OLR Report 2010-R-0136.

• Connecticut's Abortion Clinics - 2018-R-0209
  This report answers several questions on the licensing, inspection, services, and procedures of Connecticut's family planning clinics. It updates OLR Report 2014-R-0026.

Copayments, Coinsurance, Deductibles, Insurance Rates

• Copayments and Deductibles on Medicaid and Health Insurance Plans - 2015-R-0160
  This report provides information on copayments and deductibles for (1) Medicaid, (2) state employee medical plans, and (3) other private health insurance plans. It also includes general income limits for eligibility for Connecticut's Medicaid-funded health care programs.

• Process for Health Insurance Rate Increases - 2010-R-0507
  You asked (1) how an insurance company gets an approved rate increase in Connecticut for individual and group health insurance, (2) if there is a public hearing on such a proposed rate increase, and (3) if either the healthcare advocate or attorney general plays a role in the process.

• Setting Rates For An Individual Health Insurance Policy - 2008-R-0127
  You asked how an insurance company sets rates for an individual high deductible health plan, a federally tax qualified plan compatible with a health savings account. Specifically, you wanted to know if an individual is considered part of a group for rating purposes.

Disabilities and Disability Insurance

• State Assistance for People with Physical Disabilities - 2018-R-0318
  Briefly describe state services available to adults with physical disabilities.

• Private Disability Insurance in Connecticut - 2016-R-0144
  Explain disability insurance, including benefit and elimination periods. Describe the major laws and regulations governing disability insurance in Connecticut. Explain how disability insurance in Connecticut differs from workers' compensation insurance.

Health Insurance Benefits and Coverage

• Connecticut's Mental Health Parity Law - 2021-R-0210
  This report summarizes Connecticut’s mental health parity requirement, including when it was adopted and its impact on commercial health insurance policies.

• Insurance Coverage of Telehealth Services - 2021-R-0199
  Describe Connecticut’s requirements for insurance coverage of telehealth services, as enacted in PA 20-2, July Special Session (JSS) and PA 21-9).

• Long-Term Care Insurance - 2021-R-0186
  Explain long-term care (LTC) insurance, including recent policy proposals in Connecticut and other states to reduce premium increases.

• OLR Backgrounder: State-Mandated Health Insurance Benefits - 2020-R-0258
  This report lists and briefly summarizes Connecticut's mandated health insurance benefits. (It updates OLR Report 2019-R-0183).

• Health Insurance Requirements for Surprise Bills in Connecticut - 2020-R-0204
  Describe Connecticut's requirements for health insurance coverage of surprise bills.

• Issue Brief: Health Insurance Coverage for Insulin and Diabetes Under PA 20-4 (JSS) - 2020-R-0202

• Insurance Coverage for Bariatric Surgery - 2019-R-0273
  This report addresses questions regarding health insurance coverage for bariatric surgery (e.g.,
  gastric bypass) to treat obesity. It identifies states that (1) require commercial health insurance
  policies to cover bariatric surgery, (2) proposed a bariatric surgery insurance coverage mandate in the past five years and any identified fiscal impact, and (3) require coverage of bariatric surgery under state Medicaid plans. The report also briefly summarizes some relevant studies on the cost effectiveness of bariatric surgery.

• Issue Brief: Living Donor Protection Act - 2019-R-0303

• Insurance Coverage for Preexisting Conditions - 2018-R-0355
  Summarize the current law regarding coverage for preexisting conditions under a health insurance policy.

• Continuity of Care Requirements for Connecticut Insurance Coverage - 2017-R-0332
  Summarize Connecticut's continuity of care requirements for insurance coverage and indicate when they were enacted.

• COBRA Coverage Versus Special Enrollment in Access Health CT Plan - 2017-R-0167
  May a person age 62 to 65 who experiences a qualifying life event that causes the person to lose job-based health insurance coverage elect coverage under the federal Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) or does the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) require the person to obtain individual coverage through the state's health insurance exchange (i.e., Access Health CT)?

• Illegal Act and Drug and Alcohol Exclusions in Health Insurance Policies - 2016-R-0138
  Explain illegal act and drug and alcohol exclusions in insurance policies in Connecticut and other states.

• Health Insurance Transparency Questions - 2016-R-0116
  Health insurance disclosure issues and related questions.

• OLR Backgrounder: Health Insurance Provider and Facility Mandates - 2015-R-0273
  Describe Connecticut health insurance provider and facility mandates. This report updates OLR Report 2008-R-0138.

• Health Insurance Benefit Mandates - 2015-R-0188
  When are states required to defray the cost of health insurance benefits (i.e., benefits required by state law) under the Federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act( ACA)?

• Small Employer Grouping for Health Insurance Coverage - 2011-R-0363
  You asked if Connecticut law permits small employers to group together solely to secure health insurance coverage. If yes, you want a legislative history of the law allowing this grouping.

Health Care Facilities, Medical Professionals, Health Care Workers

• Nursing Home Transparency - 2020-R-0356
  This report describes provisions in PA 14-55, An Act Improving Transparency of Nursing Home Operations, concerning (1) cost reporting and (2) the Nursing Home Financial Advisory Committee. See also OLR's Public Act Summary.

• Nursing Home Staffing Requirements - 2020-R-0328
  This report describes Connecticut's requirements for nursing home staffing, recent legislation related to those requirements, and past bills that would have changed them if passed.

• Assisted Living Facility Regulation - 2020-R-0165
  Describe how Connecticut regulates assisted living facilities.This report updates OLR Report 2012-R-0244.

• Assisted Living Facility Staffing Requirements - 2020-R-0067
  Do state regulations establish minimum staffing requirements for assisted living facilities?

• Connecticut Hospital Regulation - 2017-R-0277
  This report briefly summarizes how Connecticut's acute care hospitals are regulated. It also describes actions nonprofit acute care hospitals must take to maintain their 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. It updates OLR Report 2013-R-0266.

• Community Health Workers - 2017-R-0175
  This report provides a brief description of community health workers and how they are regulated in Connecticut and other states.

• Botox Parties - 2016-R-0204
  Does state law allow a physician licensed in another state to administer cosmetic neurotoxins (i.e., botox) in a Connecticut resident's home?

• Health Care Employee Vaccinations - 2015-R-0224
  Does state law require health care employees to be vaccinated against the flu or other conditions, and have there been recent bills on this topic?

• Duty of Mental Health Professionals To Warn Of Potentially Violent Conduct by Patients - 2013-R-0089
  You asked us to update OLR report 2010-R-0024 on the duty of mental health professionals to warn of potentially violent conduct by patients. 

Immunization

• Pharmacist's Administration of Vaccines - 2019-R-0232
  Summarize Connecticut law and regulations on pharmacists' administration of vaccines.

• Nonmedical Exemptions from Childhood Immunization Requirements - 2017-R-0060
  This report provides an overview of laws on nonmedical exemptions to childhood immunization requirements. The report updates OLR Report 2015-R-0088.

Living Wills, Health Care Representatives, Right To Die

• Aid in Dying Legislation in Connecticut - 2019-R-0175
  Summarize Connecticut's recent "aid in dying" legislation and provide an overview of related testimony.

• Right to Die Laws - 2012-R-0477
  You asked about laws or legislation in other states concerning the right to die. You also asked about Connecticut bills on this topic.

• Living Wills and Health Care Representatives - 2008-R-0237
  You asked how Connecticut's living will and health care representative laws compare with other states, especially regarding the situations a living will covers.

Medicaid

• Medicaid Eligibility - 2020-R-0253
  This report describes current Medicaid income eligibility requirements in Connecticut. It updates OLR Report 2018-R-0203.

• Issue Brief: Medicaid 101 - 2019-R-0301

• Issue Brief: Medicaid 101 - 2018-R-0272

• Medicaid Glossary - 2017-R-0053
  This report provides a glossary of acronyms associated with Connecticut's Medicaid program. The table includes their terms and definitions. It also includes links to relevant information.

• Medicaid Cost Sharing - 2016-R-0007
  Does Federal law prohibit States from imposing cost sharing requirements on Medicaid recipients?

• Access to Medicaid Services - 2015-R-0291
  This report summarizes a new federal rule on access to Medicaid services (80 FR 67575).

• Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act - 2015-R-0216
  What changes did the federal Affordable Care Act make to the Medicaid program?

• Chronic Care in Medicaid and Public Health - 2014-R-0031
  This report addresses several questions on programs targeting frequent use of the emergency department (ED) by Medicaid beneficiaries, as well as questions on chronic disease programs and related legislation. The specific questions and answers follow.

• Medicaid Coverage of Assisted Living Services - 2009-R-0300
  You asked (1) if Medicaid coverage is available to someone living in a private assisted living facility and (2) what the legislature could do to help seniors who exhaust their own resources remain in these facilities instead of being forced to move into more restrictive settings. You have a constituent living in a private Alzheimer's assisted living facility who can no longer pay for his care and was told he must transfer to a nursing home in order to receive Medicaid coverage.

Medical Records, Personal Health Information

• Patient Medical Records Access - 2020-R-0069
  This report provides an overview of state laws on patient access to medical records from individual health care providers in a question and answer format.

• Personal Health Information Disclosure - 2016-R-0050
  Describe the laws that limit the circumstances in which health care providers may release a patient's personal health information.

• Disclosure of Deceased Person's Medical Records - 2013-R-0124
  You asked (1) whether patient confidentiality rights continue after death and (2) if so, could the legislature change this?

• OLR Backgrounder: Patient Access to Medical Records - 2012-R-0510
  This report updates OLR Report 2010-R-0339, which summarizes state laws on patient access to medical records in a question and answer format. (The terms "medical records" and "health records" are used interchangeably reflecting their usage in statute.)

• Patient Information Security - 2009-R-0019
  You asked for information regarding federal and state safeguards preventing the medical industry from using patients' social security numbers (SSNs) inappropriately, particularly the security standards, the penalties for security breaches, and efforts to curb the use of SSNs.

Mental Health and Addiction, Controlled Substances

• Mental Health First Aid Law - 2020-R-0242
  Provide an overview of Connecticut law on mental health first aid.

• Connecticut's Opioid Drug Abuse Laws - 2019-R-0288
  This report describes Connecticut's opioid drug abuse laws. It updates OLR Report 2018-R-0129.

• 2014-2019 Behavioral Health Legislation - 2019-R-0247
  Provide a brief summary of behavioral health legislation enacted by the Connecticut General
  Assembly from 2014 through 2019. For the purposes of this report, "behavioral health" includes
  mental health and substance use disorders.This report updates OLR Report 2018-R-0165.

• Issue Brief: Prescription Opioid Drug Abuse Laws - 2018-R-0342

• Telehealth and Prescribing Controlled Substances - 2018-R-0128
  This report answers a series of questions on Connecticut's telehealth law, including recent legislative changes that allow the prescribing of certain controlled substances using telecommunication technology. It updates OLR Report 2017-R-0174.

• Connecticut's Limit on Opioid Drug Prescriptions - 2017-R-0189
  This report updates OLR Report 2016-R-0232, which describes Connecticut's law imposing limits and conditions on the prescription of opioid drugs to adults and minors, including exceptions to the law.

• 2013 and 2014 Legislation Affecting Access to Mental Health Services - 2014-R-0150
  What significant legislation was enacted this year and last year concerning access to mental health services? 

Prescriptions, Medications, Pharmacy

• CGS Sec. 38a-518f - Insurance Coverage for Certain Prescription Drugs Removed from a Formulary - 2017-R-0202
  Provide a legislative history of CGS Sec. 38a-518f and answer specific questions about the statute. Additionally, address whether state law requires health insurers and HMOs (i.e., health carriers) to notify enrollees of prescription drug coverage changes, including formulary changes.

• Questions on Pharmacy Benefit Managers and Formularies - 2017-R-0009
  This report addresses questions relating to pharmacy benefit managers and formularies.

• Non-Medical Switching of Medications - 2017-R-0008
  You asked several questions about non-medical switching of prescription medication, which are answered below.

• Health Insurance Coverage for Cancer Pills - 2009-R-0311
  You asked if Connecticut law requires health insurance policies to provide coverage for oral medication to treat cancer and, if not, if a law could be passed to require such coverage. You provided an article from The New York Times that discussed the coverage issue as stemming from the difference in cost between receiving cancer medications intravenously versus orally in pill form (Insurance Laws as Cancer Care Comes in a Pill, April 15, 2009).

Screening For Health Conditions

• Breast Cancer Screening - 2021-R-0176
  This report answers several questions about breast cancer screening services and related data.

• Health Insurance Breast Ultrasound Law in Connecticut - 2018-R-0250
  Describe Connecticut's breast ultrasound insurance coverage law, including any cost to the state for providing additional coverage by reducing or eliminating deductibles. Provide examples from other states that have such laws

• Connecticut's Breast Screening Insurance Coverage Requirement - 2016-R-0201
  Describe Connecticut's breast screening insurance coverage law and briefly summarize any changes to it.

• State Statutes on Breast Cancer Screening and Coverage - 2015-R-0210
  This report summarizes Connecticut statutes on (1) health insurance coverage for breast cancer screening and (2) other breast cancer-related programs.

• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease - 2015-R-0127
  This report answers a series of questions on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) that address (1) screening and diagnostic methods, (2) its prevalence and associated health care costs in Connecticut, and (3) local and national advocacy organizations.

State & Federal Assistance Programs

• Husky B and Husky Plus - 2016-R-0089
  Provide an overview of HUSKY B and HUSKY PLUS Physical health coverage.

• Medicare Part D - Explanation of State and Federal Assistance For Program Beneficiaries - 2011-R-0299
  The following is an explanation of the relationship between the federal Medicare Part D drug benefit, the Part D Low-Income Subsidy program, the ConnPACE program, and the Medicare Savings Program in light of changes the legislature has made in the latter two programs in the last few years.

Miscellaneous

• Recent Changes to Connecticut's Telehealth Law - 2021-R-0198
  This report describes recent changes to Connecticut’s requirements for the delivery of telehealth services, as enacted in PA 21-9.

• COVID-19 Executive Orders Affecting Health and Human Services - 2020-R-0110
  This report provides brief summaries of the governor's COVID-19 executive orders concerning
  health and human services. The report includes all related executive orders since the governor's
  March 10, 2020 declaration of public health and civil preparedness emergencies, through April 9, 2020.

• Connecticut's Public Health Quarantine Laws - 2020-R-0068
  Provide an overview of Connecticut's public health quarantine laws.

• Defibrillators - 2018-R-0332
  This report provides an overview of Connecticut law on automatic external defibrillators and describes legislative proposals that did not pass that would require AEDs in additional settings.

• Connecticut's Family and Medical Leave Act - 2015-R-0308
  This report describes the state's Family and Medical Leave Act (CGS Sec. 31-51kk through 31-51qq) for private-sector employers.

• Short-Term Care Insurance - 2015-R-0185
  This report answers several questions about short-term care insurance in Connecticut. The specific questions and answers follow.

• Affordable Care Act - Questions and Answers - 2013-R-0300
  This report presents a series of questions and answers about the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) (P.L. 111-148), as amended.
  For a more detailed overview of the law's private health insurance provisions, see OLR Research Report 2010-R-0255.

• Prison Health Care - 2005-R-0214