Webinar: Study finds improved early cancer diagnosis and survival after MCOs left HUSKY

Join Rep. Jillian Gilchrest and Sen. Saud Anwar, Co-Chairs of MAPOC, for a webinar December 10th at 2pm with Dr. John Cramer on his study published in JCO Oncology Practice in January. His study found that cancer early detection have increased 4% and survival rates have increased 8% since MCOs left Connecticut Medicaid. There was…

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Former Medicaid Official shares troubled MCO history

Download the comments In comments to DSS for their landscape study, former Medicaid official Steve Colangelo warns against returning the program to MCOs. He worked in the program before and after the MCOs left in 2012. He outlines the problems that plagued the program and DSS staff under the MCO model.  He details how the…

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Analysis: How Trump’s Election Could Impact Healthcare in Connecticut

Health policy circles are buzzing with potential policy changes under the second Trump administration. Last time, Trump proposed significant cuts and administrative burdens for Medicaid, which covers 934,043 low-income Connecticut residents. That makes this a very bad time to be considering bringing the failed private Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) back into the program. Other significant…

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Former Medicaid official offers options to improve the program and a warning

Recently retired from DSS, Steven Colangelo answered the state’s invitation for recommendations to improve HUSKY. He worked at DSS more than 31 years, 10 in Medicaid, focused on the quality of care. His tenure crossed numerous state administrations and seismic shifts in Medicaid policy at the federal level. Steven opposes current state plans to return…

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Opinion: MCOs still a bad idea, New Haven Register

On behalf of Rep. Peter Villano, his wife urges Governor Lamont not to reverse 12 years of progress in HUSKY in a Letter to the Editor of the New Haven Register last week. Peter was the legislative champion who fought for over a decade to move private insurers/MCOs out of HUSKY, and since then the…

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CT Mirror Opinion: Keep MCOs out of HUSKY health care

“In the past, managed care organizations were a disaster for Connecticut’s Medicaid program“ Former legislator, Medicaid provider, member of Medicaid’s state oversight council, and champion for member access to care who lived through the MCO years, Vickie Nardello says, “ I strongly disagree with Gov. Ned Lamont’s plan to bring managed care organizations (MCOs) back…

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HUSKY evaluation call is broad; Includes MCOs but is not biased

Updated August 15, 2024 with Questions and Answers to DSS Last month, DSS released their promised request for quotes (RFQ) from current contractors to evaluate Connecticut’s Medicaid program. (Questions from potential RFQ applicants and DSS’s answers are here.) The RFQ includes important broad priorities that are shared by advocates and other stakeholders, including an evidence basis…

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DSS gets input for Medicaid landscape survey

At last week’s MAPOC meeting, DSS announced they will be hiring a consultant to survey the Medicaid landscape assessing options for improvement, including MCOs. Advocates, legislators, and other stakeholders have publicly registered their opposition to returning the failed MCO model to our successful HUSKY program. At the meeting DSS requested input on the criteria consultants…

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43 sign letter urging Governor not to return MCOs to HUSKY

A letter signed by 27 organizations and 16 individuals was sent to Governor Lamont urging him not to return Connecticut’s successful Medicaid/HUSKY program to the failed managed care (MCO) model. The signers cited HUSKY’s progress leading the nation in cost control, quality, innovation, and access to care since MCOs left our program in 2012. Read…

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