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Healthcare Advocate urges staff additions, warns against merging behavioral-health provider advocate into consumer office
Summary
The Office of the Healthcare Advocate told the committee it needs two staff positions for outreach, data analysis and case-management modernization, and raised concerns about a governor—s proposal to transfer the Office of the Behavioral Healthcare Advocate into the consumer-focused office because the latter may serve providers rather than patients
The Office of the Healthcare Advocate told legislators it needs two additional staff for outreach, case-management modernization and data analysis and urged that its consumer-focused mission not be conflated with a new office set up to represent behavioral-health providers.
Acting Health Care Advocate Kathy Holt said the office of 19 full-time positions (budgeted) saved Connecticut consumers more than $6 million in 2024 and resolves disputes for consumers 70% to 80% of the time. Holt and General Counsel Chongqing (Sean) told the committee that the governor—s budget proposes folding the Office of the Behavioral Healthcare Advocate into the Office of the Healthcare Advocate.
Holt cautioned the panel that the behavioral-health office—s statutory purpose appears oriented to provider issues, including helping providers with billing and insurer claims, whereas the Healthcare Advocate—s mission is consumer protection and direct representation in insurance disputes. "While the Office of the Healthcare Advocate and the Office of the Behavioral Healthcare Advocate missions may align at times, at other times, critically, the interests of consumers and providers will conflict," Holt said.
Holt recommended the behavioral-health office be renamed the "behavioral health care provider advocate" if it remains separate, and requested that assessments on insurers remain the funding source for the Healthcare Advocate (the office is funded by assessments on regulated insurers).
Holt also addressed a pending bill (SB 11-92) that would leverage the office—s resources to help consumers find hospital financial assistance programs; she said the office could host program information but needs additional staff or vendor resources to manage direct application assistance and follow-up for consumers.
The office requested two positions to support outreach, communications and data analysis; Holt said better data tools and a programmer/analyst would let the office scale systemic work and manage expanded responsibilities.
Ending: Committee members praised the office—s record and asked for follow-up details including counts of behavioral-health cases and budget specifics; staff said they would provide additional data to the working group.
