State roundup: Connecticut takes another step toward universal coverage

August 21, 2009

A look at state legislation affecting primary care doctors.

Democratic lawmakers in CONNECTICUT overrode Republican Governor Jodi Rell's veto of a bill intended to provide health coverage for all the state's residents. A board will make recommendations to the legislature by January 1, 2011, about how the universal coverage should be implemented.

TEXAS: Governor Rick Perry signed a controversial bill requiring health plans to cover $200 every five years for CT scans to screen for coronary artery disease in older men and women. Opponents of the bill argued that the test increases the risk of cancer in patients due to radiation exposure and the screenings haven't been proven to help prevent heart disease or stroke.

MASSACHUSETTS: A special commission on healthcare payment reform recommended to Governor Deval Patrick to transition physician compensation from a fee-for-service system to a single global payment that would cover all services. The commission estimated the transition would take five years if approved by the governor.