WEEKLY UPDATE: 09/12/24
On Monday, September 9, Connecticut healthcare leaders from across the state, including members of the Comptroller’s Health Care Cabinet, representatives of hospitals and health systems, elected officials, and lawmakers, joined Comptroller Sean Scanlon for a summit to discuss behavioral health policy priorities ahead of the 2025 Legislative Session.
The summit was chaired by psychiatrist Dr. Javeed Sukhera of Hartford HealthCare, McCall Behavioral Health Network President and CEO Maria Coutant Skinner, and Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) Commissioner Nancy Navaretta. Panel participants included Carl Schiessl, senior director of regulatory advocacy at the Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA); Andrew J. Gerber, president and medical director of Silver Hill Hospital; and Vinay Sawant, executive director of pharmacy services at Yale New Haven Health. Legislators who attended include State Representatives Cristin McCarthy Vahey, Sarah Keitt, Nicole Klarides-Ditria, and Cara Pavalock-D’Amato and State Senators Ceci Maher and Jorge Cabrera.
Addressing the clinical workforce shortage, developing a sustainable financial model to support psychiatric services, and coordinating behavioral health oversight and advisory bodies were among the key takeaways from the meeting. Participants discussed the expansion of school-based mental health resources, perinatal wellness screenings, staff burnout and compensation, and insufficient insurance reimbursements for mental health services. Some underscored the importance of shifting the state’s energy toward a preventive model, getting more businesses involved in the All-Payer Claims Database (APCD), and establishing a formal and comprehensive behavioral health oversight body.
Insurance reimbursement rates dominated much of the discussion. As revealed in the Connecticut Department of Social Services’ (DSS) Phase 1 Report: Studies of Medicaid Rates of Reimbursement released earlier this year, behavioral health providers are among the most underpaid by the state’s Medicaid program.
Scanlon indicated he intends to convene additional roundtables and present ideas curated during the meetings to the legislature in the upcoming session.
Click here to watch a recording of the Comptroller’s Mental Health Summit.
