New SIM summary online – consumer concerns remain

The administration’s federal SIM application for $64 million is finished. As the plan and application developed, consumer advocates sent five letters signed by dozens of independent advocates voicing concerns including weak consumer protections, incentives to deny necessary appropriate care, the need for nationally recognized standards, and the lack of independent voices in the process. Some of our concerns were incorporated, but many remain. An update on the application is online, including where the money would go if awarded, the fate of consumer interests, and what still needs to be done.