Immediate Action Needed:
Thanks are in order to the Human Services Committee for not including either of Governor Rell's proposals to reduce dental services for Medicaid participants in their 'Substitute Language' voted on last week. However, we must maintain our continuing and clarion call to the Appropriations members, legislative leaders and the Governor to protect these services until the final budget is complete - several months away!
Right now, the Appropriations Committee is deciding on their own budget proposals and will vote this Thursday. Call or e-mail your local legislators who are Appropriations Committee members by Monday afternoon to ask that they preserve the current (and not even adequate) level of dental services in Medicaid and do not adopt Governor Rell's proposals to cut care or require sweeping prior authorization. |
Key Messages for Appropriations
Committee Members:
- Please make sure that Governor
Rell's costly proposals to dramatically reduce dental coverage for children
and adults in DSS Medicaid programs are not included in the Appropriations
Committee's recommendations for the two-year (biennium) budget for 2009-10 and
2010-11.
- Protect basic dental services to adults in Medicaid and do not impose
sweeping prior authorization requirements on non-emergency services to children
and adults.
- These proposals would greatly increase healthcare costs by
causing higher demand for emergency care at hospitals and safety net clinics
and a higher incidence of health problems that result from poor oral health.
- Increased Medicaid funding to the state in the federal stimulus should preclude your having to reduce safety net health services such as basic dental care.
- I am willing to pay slightly higher taxes to preserve these and other important safety net services for our most vulnerable neighbors.
Please forward this alert (see bottom of page) to everyone within
your networks immediately and ask them to contact their
legislators who are on the Appropriations Committee by Monday afternoon.
Who to Contact:
Please review this list of the 58 Appropriations Committee members by town with
their phone numbers and
e-mail addresses for who to contact. Encourage your
co-workers, patients, family members, neighbors, etc. to call or
e-mail as well. These legislators need to hear directly from their constituents now. Call members from your home district as
well as those representing the town where you work.
Key Messages to Give:
We must be sure to communicate the negative consequences of BOTH of
Governor Rell's dental service reduction proposals and that they
must
not be included in the recommendations from the Appropriations
Committee. See these recommended messages.
Please copy COHI on your e-mails to legislators and let
us know who you
and your members
call so we can keep track for reporting purposes.
Background on Governor's Proposed Cuts/reductions:
- 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 was Sec. 67 of former Senate Bill No. 843. This would undermine the progress made in increasing access for HUSKY children since the lawsuit settlement, even as the state is out of compliance with the federal 'equal access' provision of Medicaid for children (EPSDT).
- 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 was Secs. 44 & 45 of former Senate Bill No. 843.
|
|
Connecticut Oral Health Coalition
Fights to Protect Access to Dental Services
|
|
|
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. |
Connecticut Oral Health Initiative (COHI)
175 Main Street
Hartford, CT 06106
860-246-2644 - Phone
860-246-7744 - Fax
info@ctoralhealth.org
COHI is a broad-based coalition dedicated to
promoting oral health through increased
awareness of its importance and access to quality health services.
|
|
