By Melanie Wolkoff Wachsman

Passport Health Plan, a non-profit community-based Medicaid managed health plan based in Louisville, filled a formal protest of the award of Managed Care contracts for the sixteen county regions known as Medicaid Region 3.

Passport filed the protest after discussing concerns around the assignment of members to health plans with officials from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services’ Department for Medicaid Services. The protest cites that the assignment of members was arbitrary and will cause unnecessary and harmful disruption of patient’s continuity of care and, moreover, inappropriately increase the cost of providing Medicaid services to the Commonwealth and ultimately the taxpayers.

“Passport exists for one reason and that is to help Kentuckians lead healthier lives, which is embodied in our mission statement of improving the health and quality of

life of our members.” said Mark B. Carter, chief executive officer. “Our organization doesn’t exist to generate a return for shareholders; we exist as forceful advocates for some of the least fortunate people in our community. I am convinced that patients will be harmed if the arbitrary assignment process is utilized.”

“I am also concerned that the cost of providing care in Region 3 will be materially increased to the detriment of Kentucky tax-payers.” continued Carter. “We shared this information with the Commonwealth and the DMS went forward with the assignment process. We felt compelled to take this action.”

Passport Health Plan is a Medicaid Managed Care plan that has served more than 170,000 members in 16 Kentucky counties for the last 15 years with a consistent “excellent” rating by the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

The counties of service include Breckinridge, Bullitt, Carroll, Grayson, Hardin, Henry, Jefferson, Larue, Marion, Meade, Nelson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, Trimble and Washington.