Cutting HUSKY parents increases the total cost of care by $500 per person

The Governor’s budget proposal to cut 34,000 working parents from the HUSKY program into AccessHealthCT will increase the total cost of care for those parents by $500/year according to a new analysis by the CT Health Foundation. While the state will save $2,400 per person annually, two thirds of the cost shift will fall on working families, and only one third will be paid by the federal government. Unfortunately authors predict that between 7,000 and 10,000 of those parents will not be able to responsibly shoulder the families’ burden and will become uninsured. The other 25,000 that enter privatized coverage will face delays and denials of care due to much higher cost sharing in the form of deductibles and copays. Advocates are particularly concerned about pregnant women who will lose coverage and the impact on future health outcomes and costs. For more on what happened to working parents who lost HUSKY in past cuts and the impact on families, see our report In Their Own Words.