Background:  In both her proposed budget and her latest deficit mitigation plan that would take effect on April 1^st, if passed by the legislature on Wednesday, the Governor calls for:

•  Eliminating non-emergency dental care for the 230,000 adults (21 & up) enrolled in HUSKY, SAGA, Medicaid fee for service and Title 19. COHI believes this will cost more than the $51 million projected in savings over the next two years. It does not make fiscal sense and will have drastic consequences (see below). The proposal is Secs. 44 & 45 of Governor's Bill No. 843.

•  Prior authorization of non-emergency dental services provided under Department of Social Services dental programs (for all ages) This is Sec. 67 of Governor's Bill No. 843.
  
  Governor's Bill No. 843 is 'An Act Implementing the Governor's Budget Recommendations Concerning Social Services'.
  
  

Please Call Your Legislators Now  With Four Key Messages:

1. Please make sure that Governor Rell's proposals (sections 44, 45 and 67 of Governor's Bill No. 843) to eliminate and dramatically reduce dental coverage for very low-income residents are not included in any deficit mitigation plan (a General Assembly vote on Rell's most recent one is scheduled for this Wednesday, 2/25) and are not included in the two-year (biennium) budget for 2009-10 and 2010-11.
   
   
2. Increased Medicaid funding to the state in the federal stimulus package is intended to pay for this kind of preventive healthcare and should, at least, preclude your having to make these cuts.
   
   
3. Do not allow a potentially sweeping 'prior authorization' requirement for non-emergency dental services (would apply to all ages in DSS dental programs) to make an end run around the General Assembly's recent efforts to ensure access to dental services for HUSKY children and parents through the settlement of the Carr v. Wilson-Coker lawsuit. We must not fail HUSKY families or the young adults who could not get services as kids again.
   
   
4.  I am willing to pay slightly more to retain these and other important safety net services for our most vulnerable neighbors.
   
   
   Please click here to continue reading or to download the full COHI Alert including key talking points or consequences of Governor Rell's proposals (eliminating preventive and restorative dental care for adults across Connecticut's Medicaid programs, and of requiring prior authorization for non-emergency dental services in all CT DSS dental programs affecting all ages.