STATE AWARDED GRANT TO IMPROVE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM BY COORDINATING CARE AND COVERAGE, LOWERING COSTS

Connecticut has been awarded a $2.85 million federal grant to develop a plan to transform the state's health care system to better coordinate patient care and coverage, reform payment structures and lower costs, Governor Dannel P. Malloy and Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman announced today.

The new State Health Care Innovation Plan will focus on people enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). It will include input from care providers, insurers, non-profit service providers and a variety of other public and private stakeholders.

"The goal is to design a health care system that integrates a patient's care among all the various providers in order to improve the patient's health, which we think will reduce the overall cost of that treatment," Lt. Governor Wyman said. "This grant will be a great help in our effort to emphasize the value and quality of care a patient receives - not just the volume of care."

Wyman is Chair of one of the agencies that will be involved in creating the plan - the Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange - which will focus on improving outreach to those eligible for coverage. Other goals of the plan include expanding the number of primary care physicians and other professionals.

"The more we can help reduce the cost of healthcare, the easier it will be to ensure access to care for the greatest number of people," said Governor Malloy. "This grant will allow us to rethink how we make payments, which will help lower costs and improve the delivery of service."

Connecticut was one of 19 states awarded a grant by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that gives states funding to draw up a plan within six months. The state will then apply for another grant to implement the plan.