Immediate Action Needed:
Call or E-Mail Legislators By Wednesday Afternoon to Prevent the Governor's Dental Proposals From Moving Out of Committee |
In the next few days, the Human Services Committee of the General Assembly will vote on Governor's Senate Bill No. 843. This is the Bill that would eliminate or reduce non-emergency dental services to adults and children across all of the Department of Social Services (DSS) Medicaid programs (HUSKY, SAGA, Title 19, Fee for Service).
We must flood the phone lines and e-mail accounts of the Committee Co-Chairs and our own local legislators asking them to ensure that sections 44, 45 and 67 of Bill No. 843 are deleted and asking them to oppose the Bill.
Call or E-Mail Legislators Today With Three Key Messages Below: Get phone numbers or e-mails of your local state senator and representative by town or by zip code. Click on the names of Co-Chairs to the right of this article to e-mail them also. Each of us must call or e-mail four legislators immediately: two local and two Human Services Co-Chairs. Feel free to cut and paste the three messages below for your e-mails. The number of contacts is what matters right now, not the exact wording! Please do not delay.
- Please make sure that Governor Rell's budget proposals to cut or reduce dental services to our most vulnerable neighbors (sections 44, 45 and
67 of Governor's Senate Bill No. 843) do not move ahead out of the Human Services or Appropriations Committees. These proposals to eliminate (for adults in all DSS
Medicaid programs) and dramatically reduce (for HUSKY children)
non-emergency dental coverage will cost more than they will save and will have a devastating impact on very low-income families and our safety net infrastructure.
- 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 drastic cuts and reductions.
- I
am willing to pay slightly higher taxes to retain these and other
important safety net services for our most vulnerable neighbors. (Note to advocates: If you agree, this is the most important message right now and the only way that legislators will be able to avoid drastic cuts to healthcare. Please visit Better Choices for CT for an alternative proposal to address the overwhelming budget deficit that would preclude cutting vital services.)
Background on Proposed Cuts/reductions:
In her proposed budget for the CT Department of Social Services (Senate Bill No. 843), Governor Rell calls for:
- Requiring blanket prior authorization of all non-emergency dental services provided under Department of Social Services Medicaid dental programs (across all programs and for all ages) This is Sec. 67 of Senate Bill No. 843. This threatens all the progress made in increasing access for HUSKY children since the lawsuit settlement.
- Eliminating non-emergency dental care for the 230,000
adults (21 & up) enrolled in all Medicaid programs including 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. The
proposal is Secs. 44 & 45 of Senate Bill No. 843.
Senate Bill No. 843 is 'An Act Implementing the Governor's Budget Recommendations Concerning Social Services'. |
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Connecticut Oral Health Coalition
Fighting to Protect Access to Dental Services
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The Connecticut Oral Health Coalition, convened by COHI and representing 19 diverse regional and
statewide organizations, has been meeting regularly to strategize and collectively respond to the Governor's proposals to eliminate non-emergency dental care for adults in all DSS Medicaid programs and for blanket prior authorization for DSS
non-emergency dental services for all ages. This would undo most of the progress that has been made to ensure that HUSKY children have access to oral health under the settlement of the Carr v. Wilson-Coker lawsuit.
A concise Coalition fact sheet outlines the Governor's dental cuts and their key consequences. Please download and distribute it to legislators, colleagues, friends and neighbors to ask them to take action to help protect these vital health services. |
