State Representative Kate Farrar and State Senator Derek Slap are advocating for expansion of the state’s HUSKY health insurance program.
ronnie newton
Speaking Wednesday at the HUSKY 4 Immigrants event at the Hartford Legislative Office Building, two West Hartford lawmakers both proposed expanding the state’s program to all residents — regardless of immigration status or age.
State Representative Kate Faller (D-20th) for West Hartford and Newington and State Senator Derek Slah for West Hartford, Farmington, Burlington and Bloomfield Trump (D-5th) expressed support for a bill that would expand legislation to be enacted in 2021 and 2022 to provide coverage for children under age 12 and for pregnant and postpartum women. Under the current plan, children 12 and younger who enroll in HUSKY can keep their coverage until age 19, but those who do not have permanent legal status when they enroll are ineligible once they turn 12, according to lawmakers.
“Children over the age of 12 are not immune to health problems,” Farrar said in a statement. “This proposed bill will give Connecticut children, regardless of age, and our Connecticut working parents the opportunity to succeed in school, work, and life. No one should be denied immigration status Medical services can hinder healthcare decisions between doctors and patients. As our state continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, this proposal to expand HUSKY is critical to building a healthier state and a healthier future important.”
“Denying these individuals who would have been eligible for health care from HUSKY had it not been for their immigration status forced these families to seek care in the emergency room — an issue that needs to change,” Slap said in a statement. brutal and costly policy.” “We have made good progress over the past few years by expanding access to all eligible children, regardless of immigration status, and we should continue to push this forward.”
Luis Luna of Husky 4 Immigrants expressed support for expanding the program. “Health care is a human right – everyone should have the right to live healthy lives and care for their families,” he said in a statement. “Early treatment and preventive care reduce the amount individuals pay for health care by preventing further progression of health problems, while saving hospitals more than $63 million in uncompensated care costs.”
According to Farrar and Slap, 58 percent of the state’s roughly 113,000 undocumented immigrants currently do not have health insurance, yet they pay about $145 million in state and local taxes each year to fund Connecticut’s HUSKY program.
HUSKY provides comprehensive healthcare services including exams, dental care, immunizations, prescriptions and health checks.
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