Office of the Healthcare Advocate 2008 Annual Report
2 0 0 8 A n n u a l R e p o r t
Office Of the healthcare advOcate
The Mission of The office of The healThcare advocaTe is to assist consumers
with healthcare issues through the establishment of effective outreach programs and
the development of communications related to consumer rights and responsibilities as
members of managed care plans. The office focuses on assisting consumers to make
informed decisions when selecting a health plan; assisting consumers to resolve problems
with their health insurance plans; and identifying issues, trends and problems that may
require executive, regulatory or legislative intervention.
Office of the Healthcare Advocate 2008 Annual Report
A Message from The Healthcare Advocate
I am pleased to issue this 2008 Annual Report on the activity
of the Office of the Healthcare Advocate. We have changed our
annual report format to include three consumer stories.
The Office of the Healthcare Advocate was created by the
General Assembly in 1999 as part of the larger Managed Care
Accountability Act. Since that time, we have worked with
thousands of policyholders, patients and families to explain
their rights and responsibilities in a health plan, and to advocate
for patients when they are denied treatment or reimbursement
by their health insurance company
The office also focuses on assisting consumers to make
informed decisions when selecting a health plan and on
identifying issues, trends and problems that may require
executive, regulatory or legislative intervention. It is my
hope that the information provided in this report will inform
the community on our activity, and empower Connecticut
residents to become more informed consumers and effective self-
advocates. Our seasonal newsletter launched in the autumn of
2007, and all issues are posted on our web site and circulated
electronically. The newsletter gives timely information about
consumer rights in health insurance, as well as updates on