On a call with fellow Democratic state treasurers, Connecticut Treasurer Erick Russell (D) said on Monday that his state will have to spend more to make up for federal budget cuts.
It’s not clear how much “more” means.
Connecticut passed its two-year budget in June, but lawmakers are expected back at the Capitol in September for a special session to determine what they plan to spend on Medicaid and food aid.
Russell laid out the expected cuts for his state:
“We expect nearly 170,000 people to potentially fall off the rolls of Medicaid based on these cuts that are being proposed,” Russell said. “We know that we have over 350,000 families who are reliant on food benefits every year that are being funded by the federal government.”
State officials have said they can cover some of the cost with money from the state’s rainy day fund, but they won’t be able to cover it all. Cuts to Medicaid aren't expected until 2027.
Last week, Department of Social Services Commissioner Andrea Barton Reeves said they didn’t have the specifics on things like the new work requirements for Medicaid, which is called HUSKY health in Connecticut, until the Republican budget reconciliation bill passed. That, according to Barton Reeves, made it hard to plan.
“Without having had those work requirement rules, without having had the final version of the bill, all we could really do is take very educated guesses as to what might happen,” Barton Reeves said.
The Trump administration has defended the new Medicaid work requirements, saying the changes will preserve Medicaid for the “truly vulnerable.”
“The One Big Beautiful Bill protects and strengthens Medicaid for those who rely on it, pregnant women, children, seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income families, while eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse,” a fact sheet from the White House said.
