State’s failure to appeal health insurance denials cost millions

Connecticut’s child welfare agency spends $16.4 million a year on mental and behavioral health services, a sum that translates to about $30,000 for each child. The problem, says the Department of Children and Families, is that one of every five children has private health insurance that is not covering what their doctors say is needed, leaving the state to pick up the tab.

That’s about to change, and other agencies, including the state’s largest health care provider, are being pushed to follow suit.

In an attempt to save money and force insurance companies to cover their clients, the DCF is hiring an expert to appeal insurance company denials. Right now, the agency depends on families to be savvy enough to navigate their way through the complicated insurance appeals process.

To read more visit: http://www.ctmirror.com/story/15037/state-covering children-health-insurance-remedyaction one-agency-others-lag “This material originally appeared at CTMirror.org, the website of The Connecticut Mirror, an independent, non-profit, non-partisan news organization, covering government, politics and public policy in the state.”