Testimony on the Governor’s Budget, February 22, 2013

2139 Silas Deane Highway                                                                     Raymie H. Wayne, Ph.D., JD, MSW, President

Suite 205                                                                                           Stephen A Karp, MSW, Executive Director

Rocky Hill, CT 06067                                                                       naswct@naswct.net

(860) 257-8066

Appropriations for Human Services Testimony

Public Hearing- February 22nd, 2013

Respectfully Submitted By: Ashley Williams, BSW; MSW Intern, NASW/CT

Good evening members of the committee. My name is Ashley Williams and I am a current graduate student at the UConn School of Social Work and I am the MSW intern at the Connecticut Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. I am here to present NASW/CT’s position on the proposed cuts to programs such as HUSKY A and to stress our support to SBs 851 and 852.

NASW/CT enthusiastically supports SBs 851 and 852 because they would allow for Connecticut’s aging population to remain in the communities of their choice. SB 851 would allow the spouse of an institutionalized Medicaid recipient to increase the number of assets that he/she may keep, which would help them stay out of poverty and give them the opportunity to stay in their homes. SB 852 would allow DSS to identify nursing homes who are in jeopardy of going under so they could remove eligible residents and place them in a community of their choice, which is something that NASW/CT sees as vital to the well-being and independence of Connecticut’s aging population.

NASW/CT understands that this years’ budget means that difficult decisions need to be made, but we also recognize that some of the cuts that are being proposed will hurt populations of people that social workers help every day. One of these cuts has to do with the HUSKY A insurance plan, which would effect parents  whose income is between 133 and 185% of the Federal Poverty Line. According to the Office of Fiscal Analysis, this cut would cut health insurance for nearly 30,000 parents across the state of Connecticut. The HUSKY A insurance plan is an instrumental part of the lives of many struggling parents, and although the children would be allowed to keep their insurance, we know that a parent who is worried about how they are going to get health insurance cannot be 100% effective in raising their child. This cut will not only negatively impact parents but also tens of thousands of children who deserve nothing less than the best.

I am a HUSKY A recipient and this insurance plan has given myself and my soon to be baby boy comprehensive healthcare throughout my pregnancy. As a graduate student, my income is still very low so I would not yet be effected by this cut. However, upon graduation in May my income will increase so I very well may end up in the pile of parents who are cut off of the program. My son will be here in just about 4 weeks, and in order to give him the life he deserves I need to know that my health and my well-being are not in jeopardy. Cuts to HUSKY A would cause stress in my life as well as tens of thousands of other hard-working parents who deserve better than that.

As social workers, it is our responsibility to keep the most vulnerable populations feeling empowered so NASW/CT respectfully asks the committee to vote SBs 851 and 852 favorably out of committee. We also ask that you oppose the proposed cuts to the HUSKY A insurance plan, which helps create bright futures for so many of Connecticut’s children.

Thank you very much for your time.