Lawmakers split over CT Medicaid funding spend, ahead of legislative session

President-elect Donald Trump, a longtime opponent to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), has the backing of a soon-to-be controlled Republican House and Senate to make changes to the ACA.

The proposed changes could result in how Medicaid is financed in Connecticut and across the U.S. Well over a half of Medicaid spending by states is financed by the federal government, with Connecticut receiving 63.4% of its Medicaid spending share in fiscal year 2023, according to KFF.

State lawmakers, however, are not overly concerned just yet.

“There have been some worrisome noises, but nothing to date that’s concrete,” State Sen. Matt Lesser, co-chair of the Human Services Committee, said.

Lesser said lawmakers are paying close attention since federal changes to Medicaid would significantly impact “over almost half of the kids in the state, pregnant women, [and] retirees.”

The state-funded Medicaid program, known as HUSKY in Connecticut, provides coverage to undocumented children. On July 1, the cap was raised to include undocumented young people up to age 15.

Medicaid cost overruns could put access for low-income patients at risk

State finances will be central to Connecticut lawmakers’ discussions in the upcoming legislative session Jan. 8, with the potential expansion of Medicaid eligibility among undocumented immigrants.

Connecticut’s Medicaid program experienced cost overruns in the hundreds of millions of dollars at the start of the current fiscal year. The Connecticut Mirror reported that the Department of Social Services (DSS) is tallying usage and cost for the program, which has had a much higher interest in enrollments than expected, according to the DSS. The total cost is expected to be out before Gov. Ned Lamont releases his budget in February.

State minority leaders have proposed to tighten the Medicaid fiscal belt.

Stephen Harding, Senate Republican Leader, and Vincent Candelora, House Republican Leader, said in a statement that the state should “suspend this policy immediately with the goal of eliminating it in the next budget cycle.”

The passage of the proposal would need the full approval of the state General Assembly.

But Democrat lawmakers seek to further expand the age cap for Medicaid eligibility among undocumented people.

State Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, co-chair of the Human Services Committee, is among lawmakers and advocates who hope to push the cap higher this session – to 18 years.

Gilchrest said lack of access to health care would mean that “their need is going to be heightened down the road, and we’re going to have to cover the cost of higher cost health care.”

And that would also apply to other Connecticut residents enrolled in Medicaid, she said.

“We need to have conversations about what access to care looks like for a population that continues to increase in our state because they are experiencing economic inequality,” Gilchrest said.