HUSKY
CT consumer, provider groups write Congress urging CHIP reauthorization
Thirty-three consumer and provider groups across CT signed a letter to Congress urging reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Better known as HUSKY B CT’s CHIP program, now covers over 14,000 children in our state. Passed in 1997, the CHIP program must be reauthorized by Congress by October or over 14,000 CT children…
Read MoreMedicaid update – lots of success but a concerning turf battle
Friday’s Medicaid Council meeting focused on new initiatives to rebalance care for long term supports and services. Through a impressive quilt of waivers, DSS has improved incentives for providers, expanded available services, reduced and eliminated waiting lists, and reduced costs allowing fragile people to remain in their homes avoiding costly and unwanted nursing home stays.…
Read MoreMedicaid quality up, costs stable since switch to ASO
We got lots of good news at today’s Medicaid Council meeting. New financial reports show that since October of 2013 HUSKY enrollment has grown 20% but spending has grown only 13.6%. Per person spending on HUSKY Part D, which includes the former SAGA members and the newly eligible childless adults from the ACA, has actually…
Read MoreMedicaid Council meeting
This month’s MAPOC meetingwas loaded with updates on the program. The highlight was results from the newest mystery shopper survey. Callers were able to get appointments within appropriate timeframes with 63.8% of participating providers this year, compared to 33.6% last year. Even that is better than the only survey conducted while HUSKY was run by…
Read MoreMedicaid, SIM committee update – PCMH success continues, SIM making important Medicaid decisions
The Care Coordination committee of MAPOC has been given responsibility for oversight and advice on SIM’s controversial new plans for Medicaid, especially the shared savings payment model. The committee’s original mission remains as well – to track Medicaid’s successful patient-centered medical home program. In yesterday’s meeting we heard more about continuing PCMH success. The number…
Read MoreCTNJ Op-Ed: Medicaid spending myth driving unhealthy policies
An Op-Ed published in today’s CT News Junkie debunks the persistent, old (pre-ACA) myth that state spending on Medicaid is “out of control”. Unfortunately that myth is driving SIM policymakers into a risky shared savings payment model that is unproven, ill conceived and wouldn’t make much difference in the state budget even if it worked.
Read MoreMore CT Medicaid benefits from dropping insurers – no ACA taxes
Because CT dropped insurers from our Medicaid plan three years ago, we are not subject to the ACA tax on insurers saving state taxpayers more than a billion dollars over the next decade. The ACA tax on fully-insured plans is due for the first time September 30 and will cost fully-insured states $700 million just this…
Read MoreCMS announces new assistance for states to improve health system, many SIM alternatives
Today CMS unveiled the Innovation Accelerator Program providing states with over 50 tools, programs and technical assistance to improve Medicaid programs – both delivery and payment reforms. SIM is only one of the dozens of tools listed. The tools include numerous alternatives to CT’s risky SIM proposal to achieve every one of the goals outlined…
Read MoreSIM moving ahead with risky Medicaid plan despite 25 advocates’ objections
At yesterday’s meeting, the SIM steering committee chose to move ahead with plans to radically change the Medicaid program – to include shared savings and an 1115 waiver. The new plan, rushed out in only a few weeks, reverses earlier assurances to advocates that the state would go slowly into shared savings payment incentives, recognizing…
Read MoreMedicaid Council voices concerns about new SIM proposal
In a special meeting yesterday, the majority of Medicaid Council members voiced concerns about the rushed, new SIM proposal for Medicaid. Legislators compared the new proposal to the failed HUSKY HMO proposal 20 years ago and made it clear that they are concerned about “going back down that road”. Concerns included the application’s aggressive pace of…
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