We are asking that all healthcare providers be mandated to accept all forms of insurance coverage held by prospective patients. The Affordable Care Act requires that Qualified Health Plans have a sufficient network of providers available for their insured. This alone is not enough to begin to bridge the gap in health disparities in Connecticut. Providers should be held accountable to make themselves accessible to all individuals in need of quality health care regardless of their insurance provider. Currently only 71%
of all providers accept Medicaid insurance. This percentage only declines when we look at specific areas and specializations. For instance, 36% of psychiatrists accepted new Medicaid patients. Providers who
do not accept Medicaid do so due to lower payouts and increased paperwork. On average Medicaid pays 54% of what private insurers typically payout. Subsequently, providers who accept Medicaid receive less funding and an increase in their administrative workload. 46% of our local community health centers patients have Medicaid for insurance, an additional 28% are uninsured. These health centers receive minimal payments for services provided to more than three quarters of their patients. Due to this these providers operate with less funding and greater workloads than providers who do not accept Medicaid, making them unable to provide the same quality of care. Families who are at or below
poverty level are already at an increased risk of chronic health problems, in addition to lower quality care. If there was a more even distribution of Medicaid patients throughout the healthcare system, all medical providers will become better equipped to offer a more equitable quality of care to all residents of Connecticut.