This story is part of CT Mirror Explains, an ongoing effort to distill our wide-ranging reporting into a "what you need to know" format and provide practical information to our readers.
Original reporting by Katy Golvala and Jenna Carlesso. Compiled by Yash Roy and Gabby DeBenedictis.
Editor’s Note: This article is part of CT Mirror’s Spanish-language news coverage developed in partnership with Identidad Latina Multimedia.
Medicaid, which is known as HUSKY in Connecticut, provides health coverage to people below certain income thresholds. Over a quarter of the state receives coverage through HUSKY.
The legislature has broadened HUSKY eligibility in recent years to cover some undocumented children, but the HUSKY 4 Immigrants coalition has been calling for a further expansion of who qualifies.
Here’s what to know.
What is covered under HUSKY?
HUSKY benefits cover a range of services, including doctor visits, preventative care and hospital stays, as well as vision and dental care and behavioral health services.
For most families and individuals, HUSKY is cost-free or low-cost.
Which immigrant children are eligible for HUSKY?
Beginning July 1, all children ages 15 and under will qualify for HUSKY coverage regardless of their immigration status, so long as their families meet the qualifying income limit.
Those children will not only be allowed to enroll in the program — they also can keep the coverage through age 19. But kids who are older than 15 when the expansion begins will not be eligible.
Pregnant people also have access to prenatal and postpartum care.
When did legislators expand HUSKY eligibility to undocumented children?
The General Assembly first approved an expansion of HUSKY to children without legal status in 2021, opening it to kids ages 8 and younger but delaying the launch to Jan. 1, 2023.
In 2022, the legislature increased the age limit to children 12 and younger, if their families met the income thresholds. Legislators again raised the age cutoff, this time to the current policy of children ages 15 and under, during last year’s legislative session.
Despite the expansions, nearly 60% of the roughly 113,000 undocumented immigrants in Connecticut have no access to health insurance, according to the HUSKY 4 Immigrants Coalition.
Are legislators considering a further HUSKY 4 Immigrants expansion?
Last year, a measure was introduced to expand HUSKY coverage to everyone 25 and younger, regardless of immigration status. The Affordable Care Act allows children and young adults to remain on their parents’ insurance plans through age 26, and the idea was to mirror that policy.
Ultimately, the cutoff was pared back to age 15, but last year’s measure also directed the state’s social services commissioner to study the cost and benefits of opening the program to those 25 and younger.
Legislative leaders said they are aiming to expand the age range to 18 and younger this year. The proposal would likely be included in the budget implementer, rather than a standalone bill.
In addition, Sen. Matthew Lesser, co-chair of the Human Services Committee, has said he hopes to also extend Medicaid to students without permanent legal status who are enrolled at a college or university and have graduated from a Connecticut high school. It was not yet clear if the plan would cover part-time students or only those enrolled full-time.
“The main group we’re trying to get is kids. I think the question would be, if we’re phasing it to [age] 18, can we phase it to 22 as long as you’re actively enrolled, to stay on a bit longer,” Lesser said. “We want to keep the ball moving forward. We’re going up to age 15 already, and that is a win. It’s already a huge public health victory. But we want to keep the momentum going.”