Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Husky Expansion topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Advocates Urge Connecticut to Expand Husky to Immigrants up to 26 and Raise Medicaid Rates
Summary
Dozens of speakers at an Appropriations hearing urged lawmakers to expand Husky eligibility to income‑eligible immigrants through age 26 and to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates, saying the changes would improve access, reduce uncompensated care and help retain providers.
Advocates, health providers and young people told the Appropriations Subcommittee on Human Services that expanding Husky Medicaid and raising provider reimbursement rates should be priorities in the next biennium budget.
Speakers asked the committee to pass language and funding to make Husky eligibility available to all income‑eligible Connecticut residents through age 26 regardless of immigration status, and to fund higher Medicaid rates to increase provider participation and reduce wait lists.
Supporters said the recent state changes that added children through age 15 and pregnant or postpartum people have had measurable benefits, but left families with older adolescents and young adults without coverage. "Health is a human right," said Christine Martinez Colon, a Wilbur Cross High School student, who testified in favor of expanding eligibility and called for a plan to open access to all immigrants in the future. Several community health centers, immigrant advocacy groups and municipalities said coverage expansions would reduce emergency costs and improve public health.
Providers and associations urged a simultaneous increase in Medicaid reimbursement. Megan Scherer of the Hispanic Health Council and clinicians from community health centers and hospitals said low rates were driving clinicians out of safety‑net settings, producing vacancies and longer waits for care. "Low reimbursement rates for providers disproportionately impact low‑income people of color, under‑ and uninsured individuals, young people, women and LGBTQIA individuals," Tanisha Signore of She Leads Justice testified.
Several immigrant and faith‑based speakers emphasized the human and economic effects of excluding uninsured residents from routine care and cited research and state estimates describing the fiscal tradeoffs: greater uncompensated care, higher emergency department use and additional strain on school and public health systems. Joshua Michtom, a Hartford city councilor, framed the choice as one of civic leadership: he said expansion is both fiscally sensible and a demonstration of public courage in the face of federal hostility to immigrant access.
Coalition leaders and health system officials asked the committee to adopt a multi‑year plan to bring Medicaid reimbursement closer to Medicare benchmarks and to increase funding for community health centers, school‑based health and family planning clinics. They argued those investments would reduce avoidable hospitalizations and emergency costs while improving access to preventative care.
Ending note: Committee members heard a steady stream of personal narratives — students, parents, clinicians and faith leaders — urging lawmakers to act this session. No formal vote or committee action was recorded during the public testimony period; advocates asked the subcommittee to reflect these priorities in the budget that moves to the Appropriations Committee.
