Jacqueline Rabe Thomas :: CtMirror.org
State Sen. Matthew Lesser, right, speaks at a rally outside the state Capitol calling on the General Assembly to provide insurance to undocumented immigrants.
Children eight years old and younger, regardless of their immigration status, will qualify for Connecticut’s Medicaid program, known as HUSKY, beginning on Jan. 1, 2023, after the state Senate late Tuesday gave final approval to a bill expanding the coverage.
The Senate passed the bill on a vote of 26 to 10. Two Republicans, Sens. Heather Somers and Paul Formica, joined Democrats in voting in favor. It cleared the House earlier in the day.
Protecting all children: Promoting health equity by insuring undocumented children
The General Assembly’s Appropriations Committee has favorably voted out S.B. 956, An Act Providing Medical Assistance to Certain Individuals Regardless of Immigration Status. The state, not surprisingly, has countered with a fiscal note that presents a two-year cost-estimate of $267 million to $374 million. But what if the cost of gradually insuring everyone who is eligible for health insurance in the state but for their immigration status works out to less than ten percent of that amount? Wouldn’t that be an investment that Connecticut’s policymakers should consider?
Jay Sicklick