Read the briefConnecticut is poised to cut eligibility for HUSKY, which provides health care coverage for low-income state residents. This change is expected to cause more than 15,000 parents and others who serve as caretakers for minor children to lose their health care coverage.
Many of these parents will be able to access a relatively new program, Covered Connecticut, that provides free health insurance through the state’s health insurance marketplace, Access Health CT. However, not all will qualify for this coverage, and those who do qualify will likely need support to sign up. In addition, some of the federal funding that supports Covered Connecticut is slated to expire at the end of 2025. There is a risk that those losing coverage could become uninsured, moving the state backward after years of gains.
This brief focuses on who will be affected by this change and offers recommendations to minimize the harms that could come from this cut, as well as key indicators to monitor to determine its effects.
The brief recommends that the state:
- Ensure there is navigation support for people losing HUSKY coverage, to assist them in identifying their options to stay covered.
- Identify how many people will not be eligible for Covered Connecticut, and make a plan for them.
- Make a plan for what to do if the enhanced federal subsidies expire.
- Conduct patient experience surveys of affected parents.
- Require monitoring of data on those losing coverage, including enrollment, access to care, and the impact on the number of households with unaffordable health care costs.
Author: Arielle Levin Becker