Mental Health Campaigns
End of Session Update
HUSKY 4 Immigrants
GHIAA is joining with HUSKY 4 Immigrants to fight for access to healthcare for all income eligible individuals in Connecticut, regardless of immigration status. Currently, children up until age 8 do have access to medicaid (commonly known as HUSKY) but we know that adolescence is a critical time for mental health and preventing access to care is unjust.
On December 7, GHIAA won the commitments from over a dozen lawmakers who agreed to support legislation that would expand coverage regardless of immigration status. Stay tuned for how we can support these ongoing efforts.
Peer Run Respite
In addition, GHIAA is joining with the National Alliance for Mental Illness CT Chapter, the Keep the Promise Coalition, and others to call for the development of peer-run respite, which is a voluntary, community-based model of mental health support. A person in crisis can stay for a week or so in a safe and comfortable setting, supported by trained peers with lived experience. Gov. Lamont committed in October to prioritize this issue over the next two years, and GHIAA is calling on him and all legislators to make this “priority” a reality.
Mental Health Ministries
In addition to calling on our legislators, GHIAA leaders, we also call on you. GHIAA is made up of 49 institutions, and we have a role to play. As communities of faith, we can decrease stigma around mental illness. We can increase education and understanding about these common human struggles. We can help to connect people to the resources they need. And we can provide crucial community-based support.
Legislative Update
As of March 14, 2023
On March 2 the CT Human Services Committee voted HB 6616: An Act Concerning Expansion of HUSKY Health Benefits to those Ineligible due to Immigration Status out of committee with changes. The bill would allow for all income-eligible youth under 18 to access HUSKY health insurance for their physical, mental, and behavioral health needs. The changes to the bill language include knocking the proposed age limit from through 25 to through 18, and, instead, creating a study around possible expansion to through 25 in the future.
This initially felt like a disappointment as age 26 would mirror the Affordable Care Act which allows private insurance holders to keep their dependents on health insurance until that age. However, the proposed bill is expected to help around 2,300 Connecticut residents access to living-changing health insurance.
HB 6616 will next be given a fiscal note estimating the cost of the bill if it were to become law. The HUSKY 4 Immigrants coalition expects this to be around $8 million a year, representing .07% of the State’s total medicaid budget.
After receiving a fiscal note, HB 6616 will go before the Appropriations Committee for a vote on its budgetary impact. If it is successful, the bill will be voted on by the House and Senate later this spring. At this point, we are asking GHIAA leaders to contact their legislators in support of the expansion of HUSKY healthcare.
We know there are some lawmakers against this proposal. We have heard concerns about taxing an already over-taxed medical system. However, we know that preventative care is a long-term solution to an over-burdened emergency medical care system. Some lawmakers continue to state that accessing HUSKY would jeopardize the immigration applications for undocumented immigrants. This is not true. Legal documents are in place that protect asylum-seekers.
Until HB 6616 is brought forth for a vote, GHIAA leaders are asked to identify their legislators and call in their support for this critical expansion of healthcare access for all children in Connecticut.