Table of contents
General resources
Telehealth
Long-term care
Health care workforce
Medicaid
Pharmacy and prescription drugs
Access to health insurance
Public option
Other legislative ideas to expand access to care
Affordable Care Act federal court case
Federal requirement for insurers to cover COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccination
General resources
OLR Report 2020-R-0110, COVID-19 Executive Orders Affecting Health and Human Services
OLR Report 2020-R-0142, Payment Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act of 2020
Federal legislation
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PL 116-123, Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act
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PL 116-127, Families First Coronavirus Response Act
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PL 116-136, Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act
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PL 116-139, Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act
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PL 116-142, Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020
State COVID-19 daily data report – released every weekday
Telehealth
OLR Report 2020-R-0138, COVID-19 Executive Orders Concerning Telehealth
OLR Report 2020-R-0212, Insurance Coverage of Telehealth Services
OLR Report 2020-R-0226, Recent Changes to Connecticut’s Telehealth Law
Executive orders
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EO 7F s. 3 (expanded Medicaid coverage for telehealth services)
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EO 7G s. 5(a), 5(c), and 5(e) (telehealth service delivery); s. 5(d) (payment for telehealth services) (s. 5(b) later amended by EO 7DD)
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EO 7DD s. 1 (authorized telehealth providers expanded); s. 2(a), 2(c), and 2(e) (telehealth service delivery); s. 2(b) (licensure and certification requirements for telehealth providers); s. 2(d) (payment for telehealth services)
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EO 7FF (telehealth service delivery)
PA 20-2, July Special Session – modified requirements for the delivery of telehealth services and insurance coverage of these services until March 15, 2021
Long-term care
OLR Report 2020-R-0140, Nursing Home Visitor Restrictions During the COVID-19 Pandemic
OLR Report 2020-R-0157, Connecticut COVID-19 Recovery Facilities
OLR Report 2020-R-0184, COVID-19 Executive Orders Affecting Older Adults
Executive orders (see OLR Report 2020-R-0110 for analysis)
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EO 7A (visitor restrictions)
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EO 7Y s. 1 and 6 (resident testing); s. 2 (designated COVID-19 recovery facilities)
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EO 7NN s. 7 (federal relief funding distribution; s. 5, 6, and 8 were later amended by EO 7EEE)
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EO 7AAA s. 4 (staff testing)
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EO 7EEE s. 1 (federal relief funding distribution)
Dept. of Public Health (DPH) April 11 implementation order regarding designated COVID-19 recovery facilities
Dept. of Public Health (DPH) implementation orders regarding long-term care facility visitor restrictions: March 13, April 21, May 9, June 12, Aug. 27, Sept. 25 (Sept. 25 order rescinded restrictions following the Sept. 17 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services memorandum)
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Sept. 17 memorandum regarding nursing home visitation
Dept. of Public Health (DPH) Oct. 23 order regarding weekly staff testing
COVID-19 in nursing homes and assisted living facilities – two weekly reports from the Dept. of Public Health
A Study of the COVID-19 Outbreak and Response in Connecticut Long-Term Care Facilities – by Mathematica Policy Research, September 2020
Health care workforce
Executive orders (see OLR Report 2020-R-0110 for analysis)
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EO 7K s. 4 (DPH regulatory requirements)
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EO 7O s. 1 (DPH license renewal and inspection requirements)
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EO 7V s. 2 (temporary permits for certain health care professionals); s. 3-5 (practice before licensure for certain health care profession applicants and graduates); s. 6 (immunity from civil liability)
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EO 7DD s. 4 and 5 (graduate medical education); s. 6 and 7 (advanced practice registered nurse and physician assistant supervision requirements); s. 8 (respiratory care students); s. 9 (continuing medical education) (s. 3 was later amended by EO 7HHH)
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EO 7GG s. 6 (temporary waiver for practitioners’ controlled substance registration)
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EO 7SS (temporary nurse aides)
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EO 7HHH s. 1 (out-of-state health care providers)
Dept. of Public Health (DPH) implementation order regarding license renewal and inspection requirements: March 30
Dept. of Public Health (DPH) implementation orders regarding regulatory requirements for out-of-state practitioners: March 23, May 15 (first), May 15 (second), July 14
Medicaid
OLR Report 2020-R-0116, Certificate of Need Waivers During COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
Executive orders
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EO 7I s. 3 (HUSKY B copayments suspended)
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EO 7S s. 5 (Medicaid waivers and state plan amendments)
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EO 7EE s. 4 (Medicaid prior authorization requirements)
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EO 7II s. 2 (home health services regulations)
Dept. of Social Services (DSS) May 11 order authorizing advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and physician assistants (PAs) to order home health care services
Pharmacy and prescription drugs
Executive orders
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EO 7L s. 4 (medical marijuana program)
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EO 7I s. 2 (Medicare Part D copayments for dual eligibles suspended); s. 9 (pharmacist authority to refill prescriptions extended)
National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Statewide Prescription Drug Database – tracks legislation in 50 states from 2015-2020
Connecticut Law About Medical Marijuana – research guide by the Judicial Branch Law Libraries
Access to health insurance
Kaiser Family Foundation health insurance coverage statistics for Connecticut – shows one year at a time; years can be selected in the “timeframe” menu on the left
Health Insurance Coverage in the United States – annual report by the U.S. Census Bureau (most recent edition covers 2019)
State Dept. of Labor monthly publications – including Connecticut Labor Situation, Connecticut Economic Digest, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Business and Employment Changes Announced in the News Media, and more.
Quarterly data report (report and rate grid) – by Access Health CT; pursuant to CGS 38a-1092(a). Includes data on enrollment and costs. Most recent edition, linked here, covers the third quarter of 2020; earlier editions are accessible in full text through the Legislative Library intranet catalog or by contacting the library.
Towards Health Equity in Connecticut: The Role of Social Inequality and the Impact of COVID-19 – by DataHaven, June 2020
Other legislative ideas to expand access to care
OLR Issue Brief 2020-R-0271, Connecticut Health Insurance Reform Proposals
OLR Issue Brief 2018-R-0218, State Health Reinsurance Programs
OLR Issue Brief 2018-R-0204, Federal and State Individual Mandate Penalties
2019 HB 7267 and 2020 SB 328 – reinsurance program
2019 SB 984 – individual mandate
2019 SB 127 and 2019 SB 128 – tax benefits for long-term care insurance
National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Health Innovations State Law Database – tracks legislation in 50 states from 2015-2020
Policies to Achieve Near-Universal Health Insurance Coverage – Congressional Budget Office (CBO), October 2020
Federal requirement for insurers to cover COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccination
OLR Issue Brief 2020-R-0113, The CARES and Families First Coronavirus Response Acts: Insurance Provisions
Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports
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COVID-19 and Private Health Insurance Coverage: Frequently Asked Questions, August 2020
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COVID-19 Testing: Frequently Asked Questions, August 2020
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COVID-19 and the Uninsured: Federal Funding Options to Pay Providers for Testing and Treatment, November 2020
Executive orders