Governor agrees to delay HUSKY defaults until February

Yesterday legislators and the Attorney General held a press conference urging Governor Rell to delay forcing 250,000 HUSKY families into HMOs with inadequate provider networks. Families were scheduled to be defaulted into three HUSKY HMOs December 1st including two new health plans, Aetna Better Health and AmeriChoice, which have had difficulty enrolling providers. Just after the press conference, the Governor announced she would delay the default until February 1st. It has been reported that CMS also urged the state to delay defaulting families. Advocates have urged the state to focus on the PCCM pilot project scheduled to begin January 1st as a less costly alternative, more attractive option to the HMOs for HUSKY families.
Ellen Andrews