CT – Governor Proposes Cuts to Medicaid Program

February 2017 ~

Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy, on February 8, proposed a plan aimed at closing the nearly $1.7 billion state budget deficit.

Governor Malloy says his proposed budget for fiscal year 2018 could potentially reduce Medicaid eligibility and cut a number of health care services.

Under the proposal, an estimated 9,500 low-income parents would no longer qualify for Medicaid, fewer seniors would get home care, behavioral health providers would see $4.7 million in funding reductions, and school-based health centers would see a 10% funding cut.

Other budget cuts include reducing the number of seniors eligible for the Medicare Savings Program, capping dental coverage for adults covered by Medicaid, reducing burial funds for poor people, cutting back the amount of income people in nursing homes can keep, requiring people covered by both Medicare and Medicaid to pay more for their medications, and reducing eligibility for a program that helps Medicare recipients pay for their care.

Despite the proposal’s significant number of reductions, stakeholders worry that the cuts are actually less significant than expected, citing Governor Malloy’s reductions in prior years which relied heavily on cuts to health care and social services.

For the 2018 budget, the governor called for turning to other funding sources to cut the deficit, relying more on reductions in aid for cities and towns, and anticipated concessions from state employee unions.

Source(s): CT Mirror, February 2017; CGA, February 2017; CT Healthcare at Home, February 2017;