Connecticut providers warn Medicaid rates are untenable as bill would require regular rate reviews

For the record, my name is Deb Poland. I am the chief strategy officer at the Community Health Center Association of Connecticut, CHC Act, and we work with the state's 17 community health centers, who provide primary medical, dental, and behavioral health care to 440,000 people across our state, in every corner of the state, the big cities, rural areas, and small towns in Connecticut. We're here today to provide some comments on House Bill 72 54 regarding the, DSS implementation of changes resulting from Medicaid rate study. And we wanna thank you for bringing legislation forward that would actually implement, rate increases.

Why it matters: dozens of nonprofit and hospital speakers told the Appropriations Committee that Connecticut’s Medicaid payment structure has not kept pace with costs and peer states. Witnesses said the DSS rate study documents substantial gaps — health centers told members they are paid roughly 20–25% less than comparable states; behavioral‑health rates were cited at about 62% of peer averages — and asked the legislature to translate the study’s recommendations into immediate funding and a durable update process.

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