MEDICAID HUSKY LEGISLATIVE ALERTTELL YOUR LEGISLATORS TO EXPAND HUSKY COVERAGE NASW/CT joins with other health care advocates in calling on the Legislature to increase eligibility for HUSKY coverage to 200% of the federal poverty level.

Here are the requests we ask you to tell your state legislators to support. 

  • Restore eligibility limits for parents under HUSKY A to 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL)
  • After cuts in 2015, more than 11,200 parents lost coverage.
  • Now, parents are eligible up to $35,100/year or $16/hour for a household of 3 with one adult working full time
  • Restoring eligibility for HUSKY A to 200%FPL would mean the same parent could earn up to $43,920/year or $21/hr
  • When parents are insured, kids are more likely to be insured and see a doctor, amplifying the impact of this coverage
  • Increase eligibility for disabled adults under HUSKY C to 200% FPL
  • Currently, disabled adults who cannot work are limited to incomes of 82% to 93% FPL, depending on their residence
  • In many cases, people receiving federal SSI, SSDI, or veterans benefits must apply those benefits to medical expenses to “spend down” to the limited income allowed before qualifying for insurance
  • Increasing income eligibility would reduce the need to spend down, and would allow people to use more of their limited income toward rent, food and other expenses beyond medical expenses
  • Disabled adults on Medicare with limited incomes have many medical needs not covered by Medicare, which are covered by HUSKY C
  • Increase eligibility limits for adults without dependents or HUSKY D to 200%FPL
  • Right now, an adult in a 1-person household is eligible for HUSKY when earning up to $17,774/year; if working full time, that would mean making $8/hour, which is less than minimum wage.
  • Increasing eligibility to 200% of the federal poverty level for HUSKY D would mean an adult could be eligible when earning up to $25,700/year or $12/hour
  1. Add immigrants to HUSKY coverage
  • Right now immigrants are not eligible for HUSKY coverage or for private insurance plans including those sold on the Access Health CT Exchange.
  • Immigrants needing health care have to utilize emergency care at the point where the costs of care are highest instead of being able to receive preventable care or acute care before the condition became a crisis.

Why increase access to HUSKY?

  • Some people will lose Medicaid eligibility as the minimum wage increases. The minimum wage  increase is needed and important, but does not cover the cost of health insurance even with subsidies and cost sharing on Access Health CT
  • Having insurance decreases risk of medical debt and avoidance of care and increases opportunities to stay healthy and catch an illness before it gets worse
  • People of color are far more likely to go without insurance than the state average. This injustice is rooted in discrimination in employment, education, and housing. When CT implemented the ACA, these disparities started to shrink, but they are now stable or growing again.
  • The pandemic has made it even more clear that access to health care starts with having health insurance. Without insurance or with deductibles and other costs too high to manage, people are less likely to get tested for COVID-19 or any other illness.
  • Health insurance isn’t sufficient to ensure access to care, but it is a necessary and vital part of access
  • HUSKY Health programs are one part of larger efforts to make health care affordable for everyone. For people at lower income levels, it is the best option because it removes the barrier of deductibles and co-pays AND is matched by the federal government (50% of HUSKY costs for parents, disabled adults, and adults without dependents would be reimbursed by the federal government)

TAKE ACTION NOW.Contact your state senator and state representative. Tell them to expand ALL HUSKY PROGRAMS TO 200% OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL and urge them to EXPAND HUSKY COVERAGE TO ALL IMMIGRANTS. Use the talking points above as you see best and if you have clients that would benefit from HUSKY expansion talk about that in your communication with your legislators.
Not sure who represents you? Go here https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/cgafindleg.asp
Remember to say you are a social worker and a constituent.
THANK YOU FOR BEING A SOCIAL WORK ACTIVIST!

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