HUSKY
Charter Oak calls to the Consumer Helpline
I have been receiving a lot of calls on our Consumer Helpline (1-888-873-4585) from people having trouble signing up for the Charter Oak Health Care plan. Many of them are having difficulty in even getting answers to their questions from the toll free number that is the only one available for them to use. The…
Read MoreMedicaid Managed Care Council/PCCM update
At Friday’s Council meeting DSS announced that not only did they default HUSKY families in Anthem and traditional Medicaid to only the two new HMOs – Aetna and AmeriChoice — but that they will continue defaulting into only AmeriChoice all through February. Reportedly 63,000 HUSKY members were defaulted on February 1st.The reason given is to…
Read MoreGovernor releases her budget proposal
As promised, the Governor’s state budget proposal for the next two years released today includes painful cuts. Overall, Medicaid would be cut $283 million (6.8%) in the first year and $317 million (7.2%) in the second year. SAGA would be cut $13 m (5%) and $14 m (6.5%) in the two years. Among the proposals…
Read MoreCT’s state and national legislators express concerns about forcing HUSKY families into inadequate HMOs effective today
Friday morning state legislators gathered for a press conference outlining their concerns that DSS plans to force 60,000 HUSKY consumers today into new HMOs that are not ready for them. DSS chose to default today any HUSKY families who are still in Anthem’s network or in traditional Medicaid into only two of the three HMOs…
Read MoreHUSKY/PCCM update
Yesterday’s meeting of the Medicaid Managed Care Council was lively, but ended before addressing some important issues. The Commissioner acknowledged that they are still assessing the costs of the program under the current non-capitated arrangement. He stated that they know that the current system costs more than before Nov. 2007 when the capitated contracts ended;…
Read MoreCMS approves forcing HUSKY families into HMOs
In a reversal of their position in a Dec. 5th letter, CMS is now allowing DSS to force 138,000 HUSKY members, 40% of the total HUSKY membership, to join capitated HMOs that advocates maintain do not have enough providers to provide care. The decision also disregards a letter from CT’s Congressional delegation urging CMS to…
Read MoreHUSKY (waiting for news) and PCCM (more bad news) update
DSS has now changed the date of PCCM’s start from next Thursday to February 1st even in the two small areas they approved, Waterbury and Willimantic. DSS’ plan, approved without revision by the Appropriations and Human Services Committees this summer, called for statewide implementation January 1st. In another sudden change of policy, further limiting the…
Read MorePCCM advocates forced to walk out of meeting
Yesterday’s PCCM working group meeting at DSS did not go well. DSS had no agenda for the meeting which started twenty minutes late. Advocates asked for an explanation of the department’s sudden decision to reverse course from the months-long policy of starting the program statewide to a far weaker program limited to two smaller communities.…
Read MoreCharter Oak “pettiness”
To root out the sources of “negativity” about the Governor’s troubled Charter Oak program, on Friday DSS Commissioner Starkowski made very broad requests, under Freedom of Information laws, for any documents pertaining to Charter Oak from a long list of public officials including Sen. Jonathan Harris, Rep. Peter Villano, Sen. Toni Harp, Health Care Advocate…
Read MoreAG, Health Care and Child Advocates call on Governor to separately re-bid HUSKY and Charter Oak contracts
In a press conference today, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, State Health Care Advocate Kevin Lembo, and State Child Advocate Jeanne Milstein commended the Governor for her decision Friday to de-link the HUSKY program of health coverage for families from her Charter Oak Health Plan for uninsured adults. The officials also called on the Governor to…
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