1. Medicaid for children, parents, and pregnant women
HUSKY A
Medicaid for children, parents, and pregnant women

2. Connecticut Voices for Children
Connecticut Voices for Children's mission is to promote the well-being of all of Connecticut's children and families by identifying and advocating for strategic public investments and wise public policies. Connecticut Voices advances its mission through high-quality research and analysis, policy development, strategic communications, and establishment of a sustainable and powerful voice for children.

3. What is HUSKY A? Medicaid for children, parents, and pregnant women
Health insurance to promote family wellbeing

4. What happened?
In 2015:
Eligibility from 201%FPL %FPL ($38,130/year/family of 4)
Over 18,000 received letters
Over 11,000 parents lost coverage
As of November 2017: over 78% had no known insurance

5. Why didn’t they buy insurance?
WITH federal subsidies, out-of-pocket costs can be up to 17% of household income*
Enrollment processes can be confusing
Dental enrollment is a separate cost
Connecticut has a high cost of living; any out-of- pocket costs may force families to prioritize food, rent, and utilities over the risk of going uninsured
*(to cover 2 parents in a family of 4 at 150%FPL)

6. What happened next?
In 2017:
Eligibility from 155%FPL %FPL ($34,638/year/family of 4)
Transitional Medical Assistance ends 12/31/18
What happened last week?

7. Context State fiscal crisis: Deficit No state budget for months
Political gridlock

8. Looking aT Connecticut’s budget…

9. OPM: “It is not a spending problem.”
Talking Points
OPM is the Office of Policy Management, which is the Governor’s budget agency. This chart shows the increase in state budget spending over the last 20 or so years.
At same time that revenue was slowing, there has been a similar slowing in rate of growth of state spending
But rate of increase in spending has decreased since recession and even more so when compared to rate of growth prior to imposition of spending cap. Note that prior to 1991, when income tax and spending cap enacted, annual growth rate was above 10%
Why then the budget crunch?
OPM: “It is not a spending problem.”
Expenditure growth, General Fund, , Office Of Policy And Management

10. Nonfunctional Costs Children’s Budget
Talking Points
Here we see the impact of these increasing fixed costs
Squeezing out services to children and families
Slide shows our “Children’s Budget” which tracks state investments such as early care and K-12 education, health care, and health and human services that directly impact children.
Background
As a result of a cuts-only approach to a nearly $1 billion deficit, the Children’s Budget fell to a record low of 29.5 percent of the total General Fund in FY Last year’s cuts fell most heavily on investments in k-12 education, early care, and programs that serve as alternative to youth incarceration ).
Over the longer term, since 2008, investments in the Children’s Budget increased by a modest 4.5 percent, or $269 million (in inflation adjust dollars), 90 percent of which was a result of additional investments in early care and K-12 education. However, because other areas of the budget grew faster in the same time period, the share spent on children declined as a share of total General Fund spending (as illustrated).
Nonfunctional Costs Children’s Budget
CT Voices analysis of budget proposals

11. Who is affected?

12. Why does it matter? Medicaid reduces poverty
Healthy parents can parent and work better
Access to care for parents often means access for kids
Risk of uncompensated care, missing preventable disease, untreated chronic disease

13. Next Steps: Promote health equity Investment in children Fiscal reform
Remove fiscal restrictions
Modernize tax base
Grow economy

14. Next Steps: A budget that reflects CT’s values
Federal and state threats
Protect progress: CT Medicaid is a leader
Address social determinants of health

15. Contact us FIND US: Website: http://www.ctvoices.org/
Twitter
Facebook:
Tableau: s.for.children
Karen Siegel