CT Health Reform
Three Charter Oak/HUSKY bids are in, Congressional investigation of United
Today DSS released the names of the managed care organizations (MCOs) that submitted bids for the HUSKY and Charter Oak plans to begin July 1st. They are Community Health Network, which currently participates in HUSKY, and two new MCOs – Aetna Better Health, a subsidiary of Schaller Anderson and Aetna, and AmeriChoice, a subsidiary of…
Read MoreComptroller announces cost-saving health program for municipalities
Today Comptroller Nancy Wyman is announcing a new venture from her office that could save CT cities and towns tens of millions of dollars on health insurance costs. The Comptroller was joined in the announcement by Bart Russell, head of the CT Council of Small Towns, Sal Luciano, from AFSCME Council 4, and John Yrchik,…
Read MoreAnthem not bidding on Charter Oak or HUSKY
Last week, Anthem sent a letter notifying DSS that they will not be submitting a bid for the joint HUSKY/Charter Oak Plan RFP. Initial responses are due to the state on Friday. Anthem’s concerns include inadequate funding for full-risk HUSKY and Charter Oak; advocates and other state officials have also been concerned about the programs’…
Read MoreCharter Oak update
HB-5617 – the “Charter Oak fix bill – passed the Human Services Committee yesterday with substitute language along party lines. The bill that passed includes mental health parity for the program, eliminates the requirement that enrollees be uninsured for six months to be eligible, reports on services delivered and the costs of care, Charter Oak…
Read MoreHuman Services Committee passes bill delaying HUSKY HMO contracting and delinking from Charter Oak
Today the Human Services Committee passed a stripped down version of HB-5618, An Act Concerning Revisions to the HUSKY Plan. The new language would delay HUSKY contracting with HMOs until July 1, 2009, delink procurement of HUSKY from the Charter Oak Plan, and provide for a study of recent changes to HUSKY including implementation of…
Read MoreHealthcare Partnership public hearing
HB-5536, An Act Establishing the Connecticut Healthcare Partnership is being heard in the Labor Committee as I am writing. The idea, being championed by House Majority Leader Chris Donovan, is to allow municipalities, small businesses and non-profit organizations to purchase health benefits through the state employee pool. The hope is that municipalities and others will…
Read MoreHealth First Authority update and callers to the helpline
Yesterday, I was in a meeting of the Cost, Cost Containment, and Finance sub-group of the HealthFirst Connecticut Authority. The conversation focused on cost containment strategies in three different contexts. In some cases, wellness programs were credited with playing a role – albeit a vague role – in reducing costs. These are the programs sometimes…
Read MoreAdministration opposition to HB-5617, Charter Oak fix bill
Testimony from Governor Rell, DSS Commissioner Starkowski, OHCA Commissioner Vogel, OPM Secretary Genuario, and DPH Commissioner Galvin in the Human Services Committee’s public hearing Tuesday strongly opposed any changes to their plans for Charter Oak. Attorney General Blumenthal, State Health Care Advocate Lembo and fourteen consumers and advocates, including this one, testified in favor of…
Read MoreHUSKY transition update
Also at yesterday’s Appropriations’ Human Services Subcommittee meeting, DSS reported on the HUSKY transition from four fully-capitated managed care organizations to two non-risk bearing companies and fee-for-service. The transition began Jan. 1st. Currently DSS is responsible for all decisions about medical services and MCOs are being paid only to administer the program. The transition was…
Read MoreBills we are following
HB-5617, AA Delaying Implementation of and Making Revisions to the Charter Oak Plan and HB-5618, AAC Revisions to the HUSKY Plan, have been raised by the Human Services Committee. The public hearing for both is next Tuesday, February 26th at 10am in Room 2A of the LOB. Ellen Andrews
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