Connecticut Delegation Members Urge CMS to Protect Patients Access to Care Amid Insurance Dispute
WASHINGTON, DC (March 31, 2017) — Today, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT), and U.S. Representatives John B. Larson (CT-01), Joe Courtney (CT-02), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), and Elizabeth Esty (CT-05) sent a letter to the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) asking that they implement a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) to protect patient care if UnitedHealthcare Group and Hartford HealthCare are unable to agree on contract terms.
UnitedHealthcare offers Medicare Advantage Plans in Connecticut that contract with the Hartford HealthCare provider network that extends to roughly a third of the state of Connecticut. Due to an impasse in contract negotiations between UnitedHealthcare and Hartford HealthCare, patients are at risk of termination of critical medical care at midnight on April 14, 2017.
"The impact of a loss of Hartford HealthCare services for these 5,000 Medicare Advantage enrollees can only be described as a significant disruption," wrote the members. "Without a Special Enrolment Period, these members will be forced to select new primary care providers, new specialists, and familiarize themselves with new facilities, many of which will be outside of their communities and which may not offer the services they receive at Hartford HealthCare. Allowing these beneficiaries to choose any other Medicare Advantage plan offered in Connecticut will allow these patients to maintain their ongoing relationships with their providers. This is especially important for those beneficiaries going through treatment for acute and chronic conditions.
"Given the substantial disruption beneficiaries will face should UnitedHealthcare and Hartford HealthCare fail to reach an agreement by April 15, 2017, we encourage CMS to offer these beneficiaries the opportunity to choose a Medicare Advantage Plan with providers that meet their needs by offering a Special Enrollment Period," continued the members. "Due to the fact that our constituents may face these changes immediately if an agreement is not reached, we ask that you notify us of your decision by April 17, 2017. If an SEP is not going to be granted, we ask that you meet with us to discuss the reasons you will not utilize your authority in that way to prevent needless disruptions of care to thousands of seniors in Connecticut."
The full letter is available here.
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