Connecticut
CT medicaid managed care study gets pushback from advocates
Providers and advocates renewed their calls to reject a potential return to Medicaid managed care during multiple meetings hosted by the Department of Social Services last week.
The stakeholder meetings were intended to collect feedback on the current state of the Medicaid program as part of the “landscape analysis” that Gov. Ned Lamont charged the department to conduct. The study is meant to explore different Medicaid models, including managed care, which 45 states use in some form for at least part of their Medicaid programs. Connecticut is one of five states that do not.
Lamont’s curiosity about managed care has drawn fierce criticism from some Medicaid providers, advocates and enrollees, who pointed to potential downsides of the model, including reduced access, increased cost and lack of transparency. A handful of participants in last week’s meetings reiterated those concerns.
“We should be very concerned about access to care in the long-term care environment, and managed care would not be an answer to any of those significant issues,” said Matthew Barrett, president of the Connecticut Association of Health Care Facilities, during one of the sessions.
David Bednarz, a spokesperson in the governor’s office, said that the study is merely a tool to ensure the state is best serving its Medicaid members, adding that Lamont is not proposing any policy changes as of now.
“This review will provide the administration and the General Assembly with information on whether there are improvements to achieving this goal that could be implemented, and we shouldn’t be afraid of receiving that data. At this time, Governor Lamont is not proposing any policy changes — whether administratively or legislatively — on this topic,” said Bednarz in an emailed statement.
The study report is due by the end of this year, stated Christine Stuart, a DSS spokesperson.
Connecticut used managed care until 2010 but then transitioned to a managed fee-for-service model, where the state pays providers directly for services delivered to Medicaid beneficiaries. In a traditional “capitated managed care” model, the state instead pays a set monthly fee per member to insurance companies to manage the Medicaid program, and the insurance companies pay providers.
States often turn to managed care for increased budget predictability and improvements to quality and access, but according to KFF Health News, its impact on both access and costs is “limited and mixed.”
Other concerns
Some critics of the governor’s plan to study managed care say that the results of last Tuesday’s presidential election make it even more important to defend the Medicaid program.
“We have a ton of work to do to adjust to the changing landscape in Washington and protect the Medicaid program, and certainly as part of that, we have to fulfill our promise to raise rates for providers,” said Sen. Matt Lesser, D-Middletown, in an interview with The Connecticut Mirror. “Throwing additional chaos into the program at a time when the very future of the Medicaid program is potentially on the line is unwise and a major unneeded distraction for the Department of Social Services and the administration.”
During President Donald Trump’s first administration, he approved Section 1115 waivers that allowed states to impose certain work requirements for Medicaid eligibility, though many of the approvals were struck down in the courts.
Project 2025, which Democrats tied to Trump policies and future plans on the campaign trail despite the GOP candidate’s insistence he wasn’t tied to it, also includes a proposal to restructure Medicaid as a block grant program, which would cap the amount of federal funding it receives. Currently, the federal government pays a fixed percentage of states’ Medicaid costs, regardless of the amount. Affordable Care Act subsidies that lower the cost of buying a health plan on state exchanges are also set to expire in 2025, unless they are renewed by Congress.
Others have concerns that the study is being conducted by an organization with interests in the managed care industry.
At the beginning of November, over 30 organizations and individuals sent a letter to Lamont criticizing the selection of Manatt, one of the consultants conducting the Medicaid study. According to the advocates, several of Manatt’s clients are Medicaid managed care providers. The firm has also done legal work on behalf of Medicaid Health Plans of America, a trade association of managed care organizations.
“In sum, it is impossible for Manatt to provide an independent, evidence-based assessment of our current nation-leading, efficient managed fee for service Medicaid program,” stated the advocates.
A spokesperson with Manatt did not respond to a request for comment. DSS spokesperson Stuart and Bednarz, the governor’s spokesperson, did not address specific questions about the concerns regarding Manatt.
Connecticut
Sierra Club Connecticut, State Representatives Host Black Lungs Matter: Juneteenth Press Event – CleanTechnica
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Hartford Advocates and Community Members Gathered to Remember, Honor Path to Freedom
HARTFORD, Ct. — Today, Sierra Club Connecticut and State Representatives Minnie Gonzalez, Maryam Khan, and Jilian Gilchrist hosted Black Lungs Matter, a Juneteenth Press Conference, at the Connecticut Legislative Office Building.
The event highlighted the disproportionate impact of air pollution on Black residents in Connecticut and the broken promises that have contributed to this impact. Speakers included state representatives, public health and civil rights experts, plus local voices from Sierra Club Connecticut and the Connecticut Coalition for Economic and Environmental Justice.
The groups are concerned that Governor Lamont is no longer moving ahead with eliminating all carbon emissions from state building heating and cooling systems, as he pledged in Executive Order 21-3. The Trump Administration has also cancelled at least $50 million in federal grants for environmental justice projects across New England, a substantial portion of which was slated to come to Connecticut environmental justice organizations.
Environmental injustice refers to the fact that environmental hazards, such as air and water pollution, and the health harms that they cause, are disproportionately experienced by people of color and low income people. Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race, income, ethnicity, tribal affiliation or disability, in the environmental decision making which affects them.
“Just like the enslaved people in Texas were some of the last to gain their freedom, the asthmatic children of Hartford are likely to be the last to breathe clean air,” said Dr. Mark Mitchell, founder of the Connecticut Environmental Justice Leadership Collaborative. “The Governor should keep his clean air promise to Hartford, and help fight back against the environmental injustice of the Trump Administration.”
“As a Puerto Rican woman, I stand in solidarity with Black communities fighting for the right to breathe clean air and live healthy lives,” said Rep. Minnie Gonzalez, who represents the residents that are most exposed to the pollution from Capitol Area Systems.
“As a representative of Hartford, I am deeply committed to ensuring that every child in our city breathes clean air,” said Rep. Maryam Khan. “On this Juneteenth, we recognize the painful legacy of environmental injustice that has disproportionately harmed Black communities. Today, I stand with the Sierra Club in demanding action to tackle air pollution in Hartford. No child’s future should be stolen by the air they breathe.”
“Connecticut has made commitments to Environmental Justice,” said Sharon Lewis, an Environmental Justice Advocate. “Juneteenth reminds us that commitments matter only when they reach the people they were intended to serve.”
“We cannot allow the environmental justice goals and objectives in this city to be ignored,” said Attorney Cynthia Jennings. “Any investment of our tax dollars must be used to improve the health and safety of residents in every Hartford community.”
“Let’s remind the Governor that Black Americans deserve to breathe clean air in Hartford,” said Sierra Club Connecticut Organizer Alycia Jenkins. “Once justice is won for Black Americans, justice will be won for all.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person’s right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.
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NEW CANAAN, Conn. — An elderly driver was rescued from his vehicle after he accidentally crashed into a swimming pool in on Tuesday.
It happened just after 10:30 a.m. at the Steve Benko Pool at Waveny Park in New Canaan, Connecticut.
The Tesla plowed through a fence and set of trees before plunging into the water. Police say he was trying to park at the time.
The community pool was closed when it happened, so no one was swimming or in the path of the vehicle.
Lifeguards and first responders entered the pool to help the driver out of the vehicle.
Lifeguard Mike D’Urso, 18, described what happened.
“Me and my coworker were setting up the umbrellas when we heard a loud crash and we turned around and there was a car right in the middle of the pool,” D’Urso said.
D’Urso said the man was conscious and alert, but the vehicle began to take on water.
“The car began to sink a couple minutes in, and my concern was that the water would rise above his head and wouldn’t be able to breathe,” D’Urso said.
D’Urso and EMS workers pulled the victim out through the passenger side window. The driver said he wasn’t injured, but he was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
The pool will have to be drained, cleaned and refilled. Officials hope to have it reopened by the weekend.
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One person is dead after a double shooting in Hartford, police said.
ShotSpotter notified police of shots fired around 7 p.m. on Magnolia Street.
When officers got to the scene, they found a woman unresponsive in the driver’s seat of a vehicle.
Police identified the victim as 46-year-old Diana Tirado of New Britain. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
There was another woman in her 30s with a gunshot wound on the sidewalk. She was taken to the hospital, where she is listed in stable condition. Her identity has not been released.
Police have not identified a suspect at this time.
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