This report outlines the impact of the expansion of health coverage for low-income adults without children in Connecticut supported by the federal Affordable Care Act. Among the findings:
- Through Connecticut’s HUSKY D program (also known as “low-income adult” or “LIA coverage”), the expansion would extend health coverage to nearly 50,000 uninsured adults without children in Connecticut by 2020, combining with the 2010 “early expansion” to these low-income adults to cover more than 130,000 people in all.
- The state will bear less than 5% of the cost of this expansion – and will save hundreds of millions of dollars relative to current policy. The state will qualify for an enhanced federal match for the current low-income adult population in Medicaid for the duration of the expansion, reducing state costs for this group dramatically.
- The state will likely realize significant additional savings as spending on uncompensated care declines thanks to increased access to health insurance for most state residents, and as other currently state-funded health programs are covered under Medicaid and allow the state to draw down federal funds.
