CT Medicaid child checkup rates jumped when HMOs were fired

Well-child screenings increased twelve percent for HUSKY children between FY 2001 and FY 2012, according to a new report from the Government Accounting Office. While correlation is not causation, it is important to note that on January 1, 2012 Connecticut Medicaid payment shifted from capitation through private managed care companies to our current managed fee-for-service program that supports care coordination, quality improvement, and patient-centered medical homes. Connecticut EPSDT screening rates increased from 52% in FY 2011 before the switch to 64% in FY 2012. Rates in Connecticut continued to rise over the next five years, while national rates declined. In contrast, according to the same report, Connecticut and US rates of dental screenings for children both rose by six percent from FY 2011 to FY 2017. Connecticut dental screening rates consistently out-performed national averages by 14 to 17% over those years. Connecticut Medicaid carved out dental care from the capitated managed care companies years before 2011.