Despite best efforts by legislators, advocates, and state
officials, persistent myths remain about the success of Connecticut’s Medicaid
program. It’s understandable – before the shift five years ago away from
private insurers to care coordination, costs were out of control, but things are
very different now. We’ve looked under the hood, drilled down into details, and
whacked the weeds to explore
the myths and lay them to rest. Medicaid is saving the state money – both
in total state spending and in per person total-cost-of-care. Compared to
national per person cost growth, Connecticut has saved $471 million in the last
four years. And the savings are not an artifact of bringing in a lot of
relatively healthy childless adults under the ACA expansion. We know what is
driving the savings – lots and lots of innovative programs. Pretty much any
good idea is being tried and evaluated. The really remarkable thing about this
success is that it didn’t come at the expense of improved quality, access and
consumer satisfaction. In fact, they are integral to controlling costs.
Connecticut Medicaid is building real value – both improving quality and
controlling costs. Let’s support and continue that success.
