Agencies share plan to address HUSKY Health eligibility, redeterminations and enrollment actions
HARTFORD, CT (March 27, 2023) — The Department of Social Services (DSS) and Access Health CT (AHCT) today shared a comprehensive 12-month operational and outreach plan to redetermine eligibility for HUSKY Health enrollees and resume routine public program operations. HUSKY Health is Connecticut’s Medicaid program.
Prior to the pandemic, annual redeterminations of eligibility for the Medicaid program occurred on a monthly basis during the year and terminations were processed for individuals no longer eligible for the program. During the pandemic, the termination process was paused. The federal government passed legislation, known as the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, that now requires the monthly redeterminations to begin again as of March 31.
Connecticut House Bill 6616 was introduced to the state House in February with a total of 13 cosponsors (all Democrats). Since then it's had a public hearing and has been reported favorably out of the legislative commissioners' office and to the House Appropriations Committee.
The bill seems to expand Medicaid and/or CHIP eligibility ("Husky A, B or D") to a significant number of undocumented children in the state, but it's rather densely worded, making it difficult for me to be certain just how far up the age range it applies. However, according to Louise Norris, it would extend it from the current 12-year old limit for undocumented children up to age 20 by January 2024 and age 25 by later that year, as long as their household income is still below the thresholds currently in place for those populations:
Section 17b-261 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2024):
Completed applications/ redeterminations processed through the integrated eligibility system: 25,972
The 108,110 figure may change slightly when the official Open Enrollment Period (OEP) report is released due to last-minute data corrections, but assuming this is the final figure, it means Connecticut's OEP Qualified Health Plan (QHP) enrollment is down just over 4% year over year, from 112,633 during the 2022 OEP. As I noted last week, this is part of a strange trend for 2023: While Medicaid expansion states on the federal exchange are up ~10% vs. last year, most state-based marketplaces (SBMs), including Connecticut, are down somewhat this year.
Deadline to enroll in a health insurance plan for 2023 is January 15
HARTFORD, Conn. (Jan. 4, 2023) — Access Health CT (AHCT) today announced it will host six enrollment fairs in January to help Connecticut residents shop, compare and enroll or renew their health coverage during the current Open Enrollment period, which ends on Jan. 15, 2023. Enrollment fairs offer free, in-person help from enrollment specialists and will take place in Bloomfield, Haddam, Hamden, Stamford, Vernon and Willimantic.
Open Enrollment began Nov. 1, 2022 and runs through Jan. 15, 2023. Customers who enroll between Dec. 16, 2022 and Jan. 15, 2023 will have coverage starting Feb. 1, 2023.
Connecticut residents who are interested in attending these events can book an appointment online. To book an appointment, visit AccessHealthCT.com/enrollment-events. Walk-in appointments are welcome.
The enrollment fairs will take place at the following locations and times:
