Legislative Session Wrap-Up

Last Wednesday, May 9th, was the final day of the 2018 Legislative Session for the Connecticut General Assembly. Here's a brief update of some of the relevant policy issues that were addressed this session:

The State Budget: Legislators passed revisions to the FY '19 state budget (which starts on July 1) on a broad bipartisan basis. There are no new or increased taxes in the budget. On the spending side:
- School-based health centers (SBHCs) will receive slightly less than anticipated for FY '19, but more than had previously been recommended.
- The Medicare Savings Program, a Medicaid program that provides "wrap-around" coverage for low-income Medicare enrollees, was fully restored. The program had been slated to be cut dramatically on July 1, which would have negatively impacted over 110,000 older adults and persons with disabilities.
- HUSKY A for Parents/Caretaker Relatives was fully restored as well, ensuring that 13,500 parents/relatives will not lose access to this comprehensive health care program.

Deb Polun, MA
Senior Director for Policy & Outreach

Policy Issues: A few of the policy issues that CHCACT followed throughout the session passed the legislature and, as of this writing, are on their way to the governor's desk for his signature:
- Public Act 18-10 codifies the 10 essential health benefits of the Affordable Care Act into Connecticut state law. This means that, even if the Affordable Care Act is repealed, many Connecticut residents will still have these benefits covered.
- House Bill 5163 requires certain school children to receive an oral health assessment, which can be conducted by a dental professional or primary care provider who has received special training. Oral health assessments are one way to begin the conversation around the importance of oral health with kids and their guardians.

Thank you to all of you who advocated this legislative session! Please contact me for more information on these or other issues. The next legislative session begins in January, 2019.

Deb