Medicaid and CHIP Services HUSKY Health For Connecticut Children & Adults

**The Covered Connecticut Program may provide free health coverage if you don’t qualify for HUSKY Health/Medicaid. Please visit Covered Connecticut Program for more information.

**Update Us so we can Update You!  Don’t miss important communications regarding your benefits. Visit Update Us (ct.gov) to update your address and phone number information online now!

**Special COVID-19 information & resources for HUSKY Health members, including the Nurse Helpline, and for HUSKY Health providers.

**Has your HUSKY Health coverage been extended during COVID-19?  For current information about your benefits, visit: ct.gov/phe

Information about the 2018 HUSKY A Transition:
Eligibility Changes for Some Parents & Caretaker Relatives

A new state law has lowered the income limit for parents and caretaker relatives to qualify for HUSKY A health coverage.  This means that some current enrollees in HUSKY A will need to switch to other health coverage.  Specifically, the change lowers the income-eligibility level for parents and caretaker relatives from 155% to 138% of the federal poverty level.  To see the new HUSKY A income levels, please follow this link and look at the chart for your family size.

This change starts January 1, 2018. The Department of Social Services and Access Health CT, Connecticut’s health insurance exchange, along with service partners, will help parents and caretaker relatives through this process.

Please Note:  The great majority of parents and relative caretakers affected by this change have income through employment, and will receive an additional year of ‘transitional medical assistance’ through calendar 2018, in accordance with federal rules.

***

What does this mean to you?

Depending on your income and whether you have income from employment, the coverage of the parents or caretaker relatives in your household may change or end on December 31, 2017.

What are the next steps?

All households with someone enrolled in HUSKY A Parent & Caretaker Relative coverage that also have income over 138% of the federal poverty level will receive a special notice titled "HUSKY A - Parent & Caretaker Relatives coverage is being reviewed for your household." This special notice will be mailed to affected households in a blue envelope. Please follow this link to view the Spanish-language version of the notice.

If you receive this notice, it means your HUSKY Health coverage is being reviewed based on the new law using the lower income limits.  Once we review your HUSKY Health coverage, you will receive a letter in 3-6 days telling you of our decision.  This letter will tell you whether or not you qualify to keep HUSKY A Parent & Caretaker Relatives coverage or another form of HUSKY Health coverage.


If You Qualify to Keep HUSKY Coverage…


If You DO NOT Qualify to Keep HUSKY Coverage…

YOU DO NOT NEED TO DO ANYTHING.     

We will enroll you in continued HUSKY coverage called Transitional Medical Assistance for up to one year if your household gets paychecks or has self-employment income. This coverage has the same benefits as your current HUSKY Health coverage.  

YOU NEED TO CONTACT US.

You will get a letter asking you to contact us to review your healthcare coverage options, including help with buying a Qualified Health Plan (private plan) through Access Health CT, the state’s health insurance exchange.

Contact Information:

Visit www.accesshealthct.com

Call 1-855-371-2428

Important:

If you do not qualify for Transitional Medical Assistance, we will check to see if you are eligible for another full Medicaid coverage group such as Pregnancy, Breast Cancer or Cervical Cancer or a Limited Benefit coverage group such as Tuberculosis.

You may qualify for financial help!

Although these private health plans cost money, you may qualify for financial help to pay for the coverage (close to 80% of customers do). This helps lower the cost of your insurance monthly payments (or premiums) and other costs, like co-pays for visits to the doctor.

If your income is too high for HUSKY A Parent & Caretaker Relatives Coverage, but you have high medical bills, you may qualify for HUSKY A ‘Spend-down’ coverage.  Applicants must meet the income limits, household composition rules and asset limits.  If you are interested in applying for HUSKY A spend-down coverage, please submit an application at www.Connect.ct.gov.

If you are over-income for HUSKY Health, you may qualify for Family Planning Services. This is a limited Medicaid benefit that covers services related to family planning like birth control. If you are interested in applying for Family Planning Services, please submit an application at www.Connect.ct.gov.

***

Helpful Information:

  1. Does the change affect currently-enrolled children and pregnant women?
    No. Children under 19 and pregnant women will continue to be eligible for HUSKY A without any changes.

  2. How the change affects currently-enrolled households with earned income from a job.
    If your income is more than 138% of the federal poverty level and you have earned income, you are automatically eligible to receive HUSKY A – Transitional Medical Assistance for up to one year starting January 1, 2018, as long as there are no other changes that may affect eligibility.

    Further detail about Transitional Medical Assistance (TMA) for households with earned income from employment:

      • TMA lasts up to 12 months, as long as a child under 19 is living in the household.
      • All individuals who qualify for this change will be notified by the Department of Social Services.
      • Households with unearned income and earned income are eligible for TMA.
      • All individuals who continue to be eligible for TMA will see no difference in coverage through December 31, 2018.
      • When TMA eligibility ends, enrollees will have the option to enroll in other health coverage based on their current circumstances.
      • Enrollees are encouraged to report any decrease in income or changes in household circumstances that may determine household members’ continuing eligibility in the HUSKY Health program.

  3. How the change affects currently-enrolled households without earned income from a job.
    • If your household income is more than 138% of the federal poverty level and you do not have earned income, your HUSKY A benefits will end on December 31, 2017 -- if no changes that enable you to keep benefits are reported.  You always have the opportunity to re-enroll in HUSKY if your circumstances have changed (for example, lower household income or pregnancy).
    • You will also receive information about the option to enroll in an Access Health CT Qualified Health Plan and the opportunity for reduced-cost (subsidized) coverage.  To access this health insurance, you can go online at www.accesshealthct.com or you can call 1-855-371-2428. 
    • Households that remain over-income for HUSKY A will need to pursue enrolling in an Access Health CT Qualified Health Plan or other insurance that is considered “Minimum Essential Coverage,” as required under the Affordable Care Act, to avoid a tax penalty.
      • Individuals disenrolled from HUSKY A coverage as a result of this legislation will be notified in writing.
      • Individuals disenrolled from HUSKY A coverage may also be receiving a form to see if they are Medicaid-eligible based on other criteria such as being a parent/caretaker who is 65 or older, or receiving Medicare or SSDI (social security disability) or have indicated an impairment during the application or renewal process. Consumers should be instructed to report any changes and complete this form to make sure that their determination is based on current and accurate household income, citizenship status, household composition, etc.
      • Individuals who are disenrolled from HUSKY A will be eligible to transition to other health coverage, effective January 1, 2018, so there will be no gap in coverage.
      • Information about obtaining other health coverage, including enrolling in a Qualified Health Plan through Connecticut’s Health Insurance Exchange, Access Health CT, will be provided.
      • Enrollees are encouraged to report any decrease in income or changes in household circumstances that may determine household members’ continuing eligibility in the HUSKY Health program. To report changes, you can go to www.accesshealthct.com or you can call 1-855-371-2428.

  4. Please be aware that, if you qualify for HUSKY A spend-down coverage, this coverage is not considered Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC). Therefore, if you are not eligible for full HUSKY Medicaid coverage or another health insurance that meets the defined MEC coverage standards, you may be subject to a tax penalty.

  5. For new applicants, the change takes effect January 1, 2018.  For information on how to apply for health coverage and other services, please visit   www.ct.gov/dss/apply. 

    * * *
     
    Questions regarding APPEALS in response to the January 1, 2018, Income Limit Reduction for HUSKY A - Parents & Caretaker Relatives

    If you object to this income limit reduction:
    We have to follow the new law and cannot change the new law. You are cannot file an appeal because you do not agree with the new law (Public Act 17-2, Section 138, June Special Session).

    If you object to your new eligibility determination:
    If you feel that the information we have used is inaccurate and would like to explain why, you always have the right to request an administrative hearing. How to do this will be included in your notice.

     

    [The change in income eligibility was passed in the June 2017 Special Session of the General Assembly (Public Act 17-2, Section 138)]