Local Data Illustrates Threat to Health Coverage Across Connecticut Communities

Today, DataHaven released a new report titled "Coverage at Risk: Projected Losses in Medicaid and Access Health CT by Town and Community," analyzing the projected reductions in health insurance coverage tied to recent federal policy changes (see ctdatahaven.org/coverageatrisk). Over the next decade, between 100,000 and 200,000 Connecticut residents are projected to lose Medicaid coverage. In addition, Access Health CT anticipates up to 50,000 marketplace enrollees will lose coverage.

The report provides town- and legislative district-level estimates across Connecticut. For example, in Hartford, 13,000 residents are expected to lose Medicaid, equivalent to 11 percent of that city's entire population. In the state's northeast corner, about 5 percent of the total population of State Senate District 29 (4,700 out of 101,000 people) stand to lose their Medicaid coverage, and in rural State Senate District 30, which covers most of Litchfield County, about 3,800 people (4 percent of the total population) are projected to lose coverage. Disaggregations by income, race/ethnicity, household type, and place of birth are included in the report.

These projected losses stem from federal legislation (the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act"), which introduces administrative verification hurdles, work requirements, and stricter eligibility restrictions. Without intervention, coverage losses could raise healthcare costs for all Connecticut residents, strain safety-net institutions, and widen health disparities.

The report includes links to interactive data visualizations and colorful maps, showing both the absolute number and share of the population impacted. Visit the DataHaven website, at ctdatahaven.org/coverageatrisk, to read the full report. A related factsheet is also available on the Health Equity Solutions website, at hesct.org.

Researchers and policy experts from DataHaven, Health Equity Solutions, United Way of Connecticut, and other statewide organizations are available to comment on the report. 

"Healthcare coverage is a foundation for community well-being," said Mark Abraham, Executive Director at DataHaven. "Due to recent changes in federal policy, hundreds of thousands of Connecticut residents are at risk of losing access to affordable care. Without action, these losses will not only threaten individual health, but will deepen inequality in our state and strain the ability of our healthcare system to provide affordable care. The local estimates in this new report make clear how federal decisions can have major consequences for Connecticut families and communities, both in rural areas as well as in our larger urban regions.”

"Connecticut must act quickly to prevent the coverage crisis by investing in sustained access to care, maintained coverage and ensuring new systems are shaped by the voices of those most impacted," said Ayesha R. Clarke, Executive Director of Health Equity Solutions.

"We know that Connecticut families will have to shoulder additional costs to maintain their healthcare as a result of these changes. As we reveal in the CT ALICE report this week, this is just one additional expense that will be an impossible burden for hardworking families who already live paycheck to paycheck, struggling to make ends meet," said Daniel Fitzmaurice, Director of Advocacy at United Way of Connecticut.