State Codes and Statutes

Statutes > Connecticut > Title17b > Chap319v > Sec17b-297

      Sec. 17b-297. Outreach programs for HUSKY Plan, Part A and Part B. (a) The commissioner, in consultation with the Children's Health Council, the Medicaid Managed Care Council and the 2-1-1 Infoline program, shall develop mechanisms to increase outreach and maximize enrollment of eligible children and adults in the HUSKY Plan, Part A or Part B, including, but not limited to, development of mail-in applications and appropriate outreach materials through the Department of Revenue Services, the Labor Department, the Department of Social Services, the Department of Public Health, the Department of Children and Families and the Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities. Such mechanisms shall seek to maximize federal funds where appropriate for such outreach activities.

      (b) The commissioner shall include in such outreach efforts information on the Medicaid program for the purpose of maximizing enrollment of eligible children and the use of federal funds.

      (c) The commissioner shall, within available appropriations, contract with severe need schools and community-based organizations for purposes of public education, outreach and recruitment of eligible children, including the distribution of applications and information regarding enrollment in the HUSKY Plan, Part A and Part B. In awarding such contracts, the commissioner shall consider the marketing, outreach and recruitment efforts of organizations. For the purposes of this subsection, (1) "community-based organizations" shall include, but not be limited to, day care centers, schools, school-based health clinics, community-based diagnostic and treatment centers and hospitals, and (2) "severe need school" means a school in which forty per cent or more of the lunches served are served to students who are eligible for free or reduced price lunches.

      (d) The commissioner, in consultation with the Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission, the African-American Affairs Commission, representatives from minority community-based organizations and any other state and local organizations deemed appropriate by the commissioner, shall develop and implement outreach efforts that target medically underserved children and adults, particularly Latino and other minority children and adults, to increase enrollment of such children and adults in the HUSKY Plan, Part A or Part B. Such efforts shall include, but not be limited to, developing culturally appropriate outreach materials, advertising through Latino media outlets and other minority media outlets, and the public education, outreach and recruitment activities described in subsections (a) to (c), inclusive, of this section.

      (e) All outreach materials shall be approved by the commissioner pursuant to Subtitle J of Public Law 105-33, as amended from time to time.

      (f) Not later than January 1, 2008, and annually thereafter, the commissioner shall submit a report to the Governor and the General Assembly on the implementation of and the results of the community-based outreach programs specified in subsections (a) to (d), inclusive, of this section.

      (October 29 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-1, S. 9, 23; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-3, S. 57; P.A. 07-185, S. 8.)

      History: Oct. 29 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-1 effective October 30, 1997; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-3 amended Subsec. (c) to delete provision that permitted commissioner to contract with "qualified entities authorized to grant presumptive eligibility", effective August 20, 2003; P.A. 07-185 amended Subsec. (a) by substituting "the 2-1-1 Infoline program" for "Infoline of Connecticut", adding that commissioner shall develop mechanisms to increase outreach and maximize enrollment of eligible children and adults in HUSKY Plan, Part A or Part B and specifying that mechanisms shall seek to maximize federal funds where appropriate for outreach activities, added new Subsec. (d) requiring commissioner to develop and implement outreach efforts that target medically underserved children and adults, particularly Latino and other minority children and adults, to increase HUSKY Plan enrollment for such children and adults, redesignated existing Subsecs. (d) and (e) as Subsecs. (e) and (f), amended Subsec. (e) by adding "as amended from time to time" re Public Law 105-33, and amended Subsec. (f) by substituting "2008" for "1999" re submission of annual reports, substituting "programs" for "program" and making a technical change, effective July 1, 2007.