Sign on letter critical of biased consultants for HUSKY MCO study

On Friday, thirty-five organizations, advocates, and HUSKY members sent a letter to Governor Lamont raising concerns about the choice of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips as consultants to conduct the Medicaid survey and make recommendations. Concerns center on Manatt’s record of support for toward returning Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) in Medicaid programs. That’s a record number of signers for an advocacy letter.

The signers highlight the risks to members and taxpayers of returning MCOs to Connecticut Medicaid. Connecticut Medicaid has a troubled history with MCOs. Since MCOs left the program, HUSKY reversed the decline and has become a national leader in cost control as well as quality and access to care.

Advocates are concerned about Manatt’s bias and conflicted interests in assessing the risks of MCOs in Medicaid programs. Manatt has many MCO clients listed on their website and has filed two amicus briefs with the Supreme Court on behalf of MCOs. In one lawsuit Manatt from last year weighed in on behalf of MCOs against providers trying to get paid on time. Manatt also filed a brief in 2019 in another lawsuit against states objecting to paying MCO’s taxes.

Letter signers acknowledge that Medicaid is not perfect and long term care costs are up. But advocates have ideas to improve care and control costs. Instead of bringing back inefficient MCOs, we urge the state to continue the momentum and rely on Connecticut’s successful history of bringing all stakeholders to the table to find options that work in our state to improve care and lower costs. We remain dedicated to continuing to do the work, collaborate, and build on our success.