Thursday, June 07, 2007

State Watch

Connecticut State Senate Passes Health Care Reform Bill to Expand Access for Uninsured

      The Connecticut Senate on Wednesday voted 24-12 to approve a bill that would expand access to health care for uninsured state residents and increase Medicaid reimbursements for physicians and hospitals, the Hartford Courant reports. The legislation would:

• Increase reimbursements for health care providers at an estimated cost of $151 million in fiscal year 2008;
  
  
• Expand income eligibility limits for parents of children enrolled in HUSKY A health insurance plan from 150% of the federal poverty level to 185%. Expanded eligibility is expected to cost $17 million in 2008;
  
  
• Automatically enroll uninsured newborns in HUSKY and mandate that the state pay premiums for the first two months, at an estimated cost of $2.7 million in 2008;
  
  
• Expand Medicaid income eligibility limits for pregnant women from 185% of the poverty level to 250%, which is estimated to cost $3.5 million in 2008;
  
  
• Increase income eligibility limits for the HUSKY B plan from 300% of the poverty level to 400%, at an estimated cost of $6 million in 2008;
  
  
• Expand health insurance to residents younger than age 26 who qualify, which is expected to cost $8 million in 2008; and
  
  
• Allot $5 million in 2008 to increase financial assistance to school-based clinics and community health centers.
  

In addition, the bill would provide funding to expand an outreach program for HUSKY insurance plans to increase enrollment and allow for the development of a statewide electronic health record system (Poitras, Hartford Courant, 6/6). The state House later on Wednesday voted 96-46 to approve the legislation (Poitras/Keating, Hartford Courant, 6/7).

Concerns
Democrats estimate that the bill will cost $62 million over two years after federal reimbursements, excluding proposed provider rate increases. Republicans say including the increases would bring the bill's total cost to $390 million over the next two years. The Republican estimate was based on a report by the nonpartisan state Office of Fiscal Analysis.

Rich Harris, spokesperson for Gov. Jodi Rell (R), said trying to pass such a measure close to the end of the session without a finalized state budget is a "colossal waste of time," adding that Rell "will not sign these bills in the absence of a negotiated budget agreement" (Hartford Courant, 6/6). Rell said, "I will not pass any bill that beats that process down."

Democrats, who have "close to a veto-proof majority" on the bill, "vowed to push it through" in the event that Rell vetoes the legislation, the Courant reports (Hartford Courant, 6/7).