Connecticut is one of 19 states to receive grants from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services aimed at overhauling state health care systems to provide better care and save money.

The “State Health Care Innovation Plan” would affect Connecticut residents who are on Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Connecticut will receive $2.85 million to plan a system that co-ordinates state and federal health sysems but also includes insurers, including Aetna, ConnectiCare and Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield and nonprofits like Connecticut Voices for Children that have a stake in health care.

Anne Foley, undersecretary of Connecticut’s Office of Policy and Management, said the federal grant will pay for six months of staff, consultants and outreach.

Gov. Dannel Malloy’s administration has also applied for another federal grant, which could be worth up to $50 million, to implement the proposed health plan.

Ana has written about politics and policy in Washington, D.C.. for Gannett, Thompson Reuters and UPI. She was a special correspondent for the Miami Herald, and a regular contributor to The New York TImes, Advertising Age and several other publications. She has also worked in broadcast journalism, for CNN and several local NPR stations. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Journalism.

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