Democrats outline three scenarios to save $2.8 billion

Emphasizing that they do not endorse the cuts, the Appropriations Committee described the types of cuts necessary to fill the remaining $2.8 billion budget gap without additional revenues. Across the three budget versions reductions include cutting Medicaid provider rates by 10% for nursing homes and 20% for all others, Medicaid co-pays, eliminating adult pharmacy in Medicaid, eliminating DSH grants to hospitals, eliminating SAGA, eliminating Charter Oak, cutting Alzheimer’s respite care, and eliminating state funded home care. These cuts are in addition to, not instead of, the cuts in the Governor’s budget proposal. Leadership praised the committee for giving a “more accurate picture of what the Governor’s budget would have looked like had she balanced the budget” but was clear that the cuts are “unacceptable.”
Ellen Andrews