The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently reported that nearly 72 million individuals nationwide possessed Medicaid or CHIP health insurance by May 2015. States that expanded Medicaid posted enrollment increases near thirty percent, compared with less than 10 percent from states that refused the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Medicaid expansion. CMS did not report Connecticut-specific findings, so Connecticut Voices for Children conducted an analysis using CMS methods and readily available HUSKY Program data.
We found that the percentage increase in Connecticut‘s Medicaid and CHIP enrollment (16.9%) from the pre-ACA baseline (average monthly enrollment between July-September 2013) is less than the percentage increase for all states that expanded Medicaid (29.5%), and most likely reflects longstanding state commitments to health insurance coverage for all residents. We recommend that Connecticut policy makers continue to monitor the Affordable Care Act’s influence on uninsured population reduction, coverage continuity for those jarred by eligibility changes, and healthcare access rates.
