CT Governor Helps Kids by Removing Barrier to CHIP Enrollment

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By Sharon Langer, Connecticut Voices for Children

Although Connecticut – like most states – is facing unprecedented fiscal challenges, and like other northeast neighboring states, challenging wintry conditions, there is some good health care news for children and families coming from the “State of Steady Habits”. Governor Dannel P. Malloy recently announced that Connecticut will implement presumptive eligibility for children in Connecticut’s Children’s Health Insurance Program  (HUSKY B).   Presumptive eligibility (PE) helps kid get timely care by allowing certain community-based health care providers to determine their eligibility and to guarantee coverage based on that determination.  Connecticut already provides PE for children and pregnant women in Medicaid (HUSKY A).   Taking this latest step to simplify enrollment will not only make HUSKY  B more family friendly, it may earn the state up to $4 million in federal bonus dollars under the 2009 Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA). 

At the same time that the Governor announced implementation of PE for HUSKY B children, he also announced plans to better manage the state’s Medicaid dollars – and garner substantial savings – by moving the entire Medicaid (and CHIP) population (families, children, pregnant women, seniors and persons with disabilities, and low-income adults) into a non-risk model of care, with administrative services support and incentives for doctors to better coordinate patient care.  As a result of the change in administration and assumption of risk for the program, the Governor expects to save $41 million in the first year after implementation.  

On Wednesday, the Governor proposed that Connecticut’s Medicaid program, which serves over 500,000 state residents, pay for smoking cessation medications and services.   While Connecticut currently pays for smoking cessation for children and pregnant women in Medicaid and HUSKY, it is only one of four states that has not provided smoking cessation to seniors, persons with disabilities and parents on Medicaid, who use tobacco products at a rate far higher than the general population. This is a very welcome change that finally aligns our public health and access to health care goals. 

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