Using Waivers to Improve Health Care Affordability and Access in Connecticut

Despite improvements in health insurance coverage in Connecticut over the past decade, the combination of insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs at the point of service makes access to affordable health care difficult for some Connecticut residents.

This brief considers how the state government might use program waivers (Medicaid section 1115 and Affordable Care Act section 1332) as a policy tool to improve affordability and access for Connecticut residents.

For the basics on waivers, please see companion brief “How Waivers Work.”

Authors

Robert W. Seifert, MPA, is a principal with the UMass Medical School Center for Health Law and Economics

Rachel Gershon, JD, MPH is a senior research policy analyst with the UMass Medical School Center for Health Law and Economics

Katharine London, MS, is a principal with the UMass Medical School Center for Health Law and Economics

This publication was funded by the Connecticut Health Foundation in partnership with the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut