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CT Congressional Dems: Stop Enrolling in Inadequate Medicaid Networks
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Nearly every member of Connecticut's Congressional delegation has joined calls to halt changes to the state's Medicaid program until more providers sign up to offer care.

Senators Christopher Dodd and Joseph Lieberman and Representatives Joe Courtney, Rosa DeLauro, John Larson, and Chris Murphy called two of the state's new Medicaid provider networks inadequate and warned that they could severely disrupt and limit access to health care. In a letter on Thursday, they asked the federal government to prohibit Connecticut from enrolling more low-income children and their families into the networks.

DeLauro says there needs to be a moratorium on enrolling people until there are enough doctors to meet federal requirements.

"Yeah, sure you could say these people are insured, but folks are not going to be able to access care. It just is irresponsible."

The new networks were set up to accommodate both low-income families enrolled in the HUSKY program and the new Charter Oak Health plan for the uninsured. 

Earlier this week, a spokeswoman for the federal agency that oversees Medicaid told the New Haven Register that Washington has concerns about the ongoing transition in Connecticut. Mary Kahn said she wants the state to make clear that people do not have to transfer into the networks that aren't ready.

But deadlines are quickly approaching. Husky families must transfer into a new Medicaid provider network by February 1. But a month before that, on December 31, the largest Husky network in Connecticut, Anthem Bluecare, is scheduled to stop providing services.

Spokesmen for Governor Rell and the state Department of Social Services did not respond to repeated to calls for comment by deadline.