Medicaid
Medicaid Managed Care Council meeting
Friday’s Medicaid Managed Care Council meeting was very frustrating. Upon questioning, DSS made clear that they will not be recovering the $50 million in overpayments to the HUSKY HMOs that were identified by independent auditors commissioned by the Comptroller, proposed by the Governor to cut for the current state budget and agreed to by the…
Read MorePCCM/HUSKY Primary Care Forum
To answer questions as PCCM, now known as HUSKY Primary Care, is rolling out in New Haven and Hartford by January 1st, advocates are holding a forum Thursday November 19th at 6pm. It will be at our offices in the Red Cross Building – 703 Whitney Avenue in New Haven. The forum is sponsored by…
Read MoreBehavioral Health Partnership forums
The CT Behavioral Health Partnership, family advocacy organizations and the Community Collaborative are sponsoring three forums about Enhanced Care Clinics (ECCs). The Partnership is CT’s non-risk program providing coordinated mental health and substance abuse services to HUSKY members. ECCs are behavioral health providers that offer timely urgent and routine care as well as coordination of…
Read MoreNew PCCM/HUSKY Primary Care outreach tools
New outreach materials for use by advocates recruiting providers and consumers into PCCM – now named HUSKY Primary Care – are available on the CT Health Policy Project website. The tools include a updated FAQs for providers and for consumers. Our new consumer newsletter is also posted in English and Spanish.
Read MoreMichigan Medicaid dental cuts cause woman’s death
A Northern Michigan’s woman’s death last week is being blamed on her inability to access oral health care in Medicaid. Her untreated infection could have been prevented; she was scheduled for surgery just days after her coverage was cancelled. Her dental clinic was willing to donate the surgery but Medicaid refused to pay for hospital…
Read MoreCourant editorial calls for DSS Commissioner search
Yesterday’s Hartford Courant editorial calls for a broad search for the next Commissioner of DSS. This echoes other voices, including ours. State health care programs have struggled in recent years. National health reforms offer Connecticut exciting new opportunities but also immense challenges that will make the last decade seem easy. The choice of a new…
Read MoreDSS gets an earful at PCCM subcommittee meeting
Today’s PCCM subcommittee meeting of the Medicaid Managed Care Council was very heated. Again the room was packed, including four legislators in person and one on the phone. DSS reported that they still have 54 providers in the Waterbury and Willimantic areas participating; no increase from the last meeting two months ago. They are beginning…
Read MoreChallenges and promise of PCCM highlighted in today’s Waterbury Republican-American
An article on the front page of today’s Waterbury Republican-American describes both the potential for PCCM and the challenges in implementing the program, especially with a reluctant state agency responsible for marketing. Volunteers have been left with the job of letting people know about the opportunity and what the program is. Sandi Carbonari, a Waterbury…
Read MoreFrom the Consumer Helpline
A consumer called our helpline because he has Medicaid and can’t find a primary care provider in New Haven who takes Medicaid and will take a new patient. He tried looking on the DSS Provider Directory Search and called the doctors listed there. They weren’t taking new Medicaid patients. He tried asking his specialist, who…
Read MoreMedicaid Managed Care Council update
Today’s Medicaid Managed Care Council meeting touched on some new issues and revisited some old ones. There was a strong exchange on the Charter Oak annual $100,000 and lifetime $1 million limits. Sen. Prague talked about a patient who called her office needing treatment for cancer that exceeded the annual cap. He was eventually able…
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