Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Andrew Garbarino sent a letter to Dr. John Howard, Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and Administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP), requesting information on the multi-million-dollar contract awarded to a new vendor for the WTCHP’s Nationwide Provider Network (NPN), which provides medical care to thousands of 9/11 responders across the United States. Following reports that some responders and survivors of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack were not receiving the medical care they deserve, the Members have been conducting rigorous oversight of the program.
“We are seeking to ensure that issues uncovered through investigative reporting and our own inquiry that impacted the previous contract do not reoccur and that 9/11 responders receive seamless care during the transition to a new health care program administrator,” the Members wrote.
Information obtained in response to the Members’ August 2021 inquiry raised additional questions about the performance of the federal contractor that had previously administered the NPN program, Logistics Health Incorporated (now known at OptumServe Health Services), and its repeated failures to meet certain performance thresholds.
On December 6, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that it had awarded a new five-year contract to a different administrator, Managed Care Advisors (MCA) / Sedgwick.
On January 5, 2022, NIOSH provided the Members’ staff with a briefing on the new contract and plans for transition. When asked about transition plans and how current program members would be directly affected by the switch in contractors, NIOSH officials reported that they were unable to provide specifics as they were still developing transition plans. NIOSH officials indicated that they were unable to complete this transition planning until after the contract was awarded.
“As strong supporters of the WTCHP, we are seeking to ensure the program not only has the necessary resources but is properly administered so that members receive the high-quality care that they need and deserve,” the letter states.
The letter requests that NIOSH provide information including the contract with MCA/Sedgwick and a detailed transition plan by April 4, 2022.
Click here to read the letter to NIOSH.
Original source can be found here.
