by Jamil Ragland CTNewsJunkie
HARTFORD, CT — A reprieve from an onslaught of federal changes to Medicaid and food assistance programs appears unlikely, said Department of Social Services representatives, as the state braces itself to deal with the potential aftermath.
At the monthly Medical Assistance Program Oversight Council (MAPOC) meeting Friday, representatives for DSS briefed the group on current efforts to deal with changes to work requirements and eligibility that could potentially leave hundreds thousands of state residents without health insurance and food assistance.
William Halsey, Medicaid director for DSS, said it was unlikely the state would receive a “good faith” waiver on the implementation of work requirements for Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), meaning that those requirements would kick in on Jan 1, 2027.
In addition, more frequent eligibility verifications will begin on the same date. Residents who receive their healthcare through Husky Part D will be required to recertify their eligibility every six months instead of once a year.
Changes to Medicaid coverage for noncitizens begin on Oct. 1, 2026. The changes will strip coverage from refugees, asylum recipients, parolees, victims of trafficking, victims of domestic violence, and Afghan and Iraqi special immigrants, Halsey said.
Experts at DSS and across the nation have said that implementing work requirements and increasing reporting would lead to fewer people receiving assistance.
Karen Siegel of Health Equity Solutions pushed back on a narrative she’s encountered that there is a “silver lining” to the work requirements. She said the majority of people receiving Medicaid are already working, but that the increased reporting requirements would lead to a drop in enrollment.
“I understand the desire for positive thinking and I just want to caution everyone to be really careful about that,” she said. “There are explicitly racist origins for these policies for one, and even if that’s not a concern we know from the evidence that the vast majority of people on Medicaid are either disabled or working. I really feel strongly that it’s a disservice to them to ignore the facts and suggest that there is some kind of positive, work-enhancing effect of these programs when we know that there isn’t.”
Several members of the committee asked about the department’s plans to increase staffing in response to the increased demands of more frequent eligibility verifications.
Ellen Andrews, Ph.D, executive director of the Connecticut Health Policy Project, listens during the inaugural meeting of the Prescription Drug Task Force in Hartford on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. Credit: Jamil Ragland / CTNewsJunkie
Ellen Andrews, executive director of the Connecticut Health Policy Project, said adequacy and capacity of staffing is a “giant issue” alongside all the other issues DSS faces. She had concerns about the ability of the department to provide for long-term services.
“While I support all the improvements in technologies and systems and efforts to expedite the eligibility determination process, at the end of the day, for so many of these cases, it is a human being, an experienced eligibility services worker, a very experienced supervisor, that is needed to get these complicated long-term cases over the top, if you will, or to the point where they can be determined eligible,” she said.
Another major area of concern during the call was the effect that losing large numbers of Medicaid recipients would have on the financial stability of hospitals.
Sen. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor, who is a physician, spoke about the potential for increased costs as residents lose access to primary care services.
“As people lose Medicaid, they’re going to get more sick and they’ll get to the emergency rooms that will be unpaid services,” he said. “So there’s going to be the ripple effect of this anticipated disaster.”
State Rep. Cristin McCarthy Vahey, D-Fairfield, speaks during debate on a health care equity bill in the Connecticut House of Representatives. Credit: Donald Eng / CTNewsJunkie
State Rep. Cristin McCarthy Vahey, D-Fairfield, referenced a recent article in the Connecticut Mirror when discussing how many people in her part of the state might lose coverage. She said up to a third of residents who rely on Access Health CT for health insurance in Fairfield and Bridgeport could lose coverage, which is more than 3,000 people.
Additionally, more than 14,000 people between the two towns are projected to lose Medicaid coverage, she said.
“When I think about my conversations with the hospital leaders, and I’ll use our Bridgeport hospitals in particular, who are already struggling with uncompensated care, I think the math is very difficult for the hospitals.”