Immigrant family benefited from HUSKY health program

His family’s journey two years ago from Honduras to Norwalk was most taxing for Juan’s 5year-old daughter.

“She suffered a lot during the trip ... at times, you don’t have anything to eat. So, she became really sad, asking us if we’re going to make it where we’re going,” said the Honduran man, whose full name is not being disclosed because of his undocumented status. He said he came to the United States with his wife and daughter in search of better work and educational opportunities.

Upon arriving in Connecticut, the girl’s parents fed her vitamins to replenish the nutrients she had lost. But she also needed professional care.

It was through Building One Community, a Stamford nonprofit, that the young family learned of the state’s expanded Medicaid program for undocumented children ages 12 and younger. The expansion, which launched Jan. 1, has been a vital resource, the 43-year-old father said.

“One of the main concerns as a father, as a parent, is to make sure that your kids have a future and they have opportunities,” said Juan, whose wife gave birth to a boy last month. “We’re now able to make sure that both kids are able to have access to doctors and medical help without having to pay out of pocket for it.”

Juan’s children are two of about 5,500 residents the state expects to sign up this year for the expanded Medicaid program, known as HUSKY in Connecticut. Lawmakers voted to expand signups to children, regardless of legal status, until they turn 13 years old — provided their guardians meet the program’s qualifying income limits. The coverage lasts until the child’s 19th birthday.

A new legislative proposal, House Bill 6616, would extend the program to people 20 and younger regardless of immigration status starting in January 2024, and then to those 25 and younger beginning in June 2024.

It’s been met with caution by Gui Woolston, director of Medicaid for the state’s social services department, who told lawmakers that the department has not yet been able to analyze the long-term cost and effectiveness of the 12-and-under expansion.

Proponents, like state Sen. Matthew Lesser, DMiddletown, say that the program could end up paying for itself.

“This is going to save hospitals money, because when we don’t provide this coverage, the need does not disappear, it just falls on us in a less efficient way through uncompensated care. And that raises health care costs for everyone in the state of Connecticut,” Lesser told the CT Mirror.

Out-of-pocket health care costs create massive expenses for undocumented families, where adults are significantly more likely to have lower incomes and work in industries without employer-sponsored health insurance, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation study last year.

In the meantime,

Building One Community’s staff has been hurrying to register children who can benefit from the expansion before they turn 13 years old and age out. According to an internal database, about 8,000 Stamford children qualify for the coverage, said case manager Fernanda Moreno Soto.

“We took all of our data, gathered up a list of children within that age range — especially targeting those 12-year-olds,” Moreno Soto said.

Each year, parents must re-certify their children for the program, either by calling Access Health Connecticut over the phone or creating an account on the program’s website. Building One Community will help parents learn to navigate the process at a special event from 9 a.m. to noon Monday at the flagship office on Stamford’s East Side, 417 Shippan Ave.

To sign up, parents should call the nonprofit at 203-674-8585 and ask for the family and individual services department, Moreno Soto said.

Because of the HUSKY expansion, Juan said his family has more money to spend on other activities and opportunities to enrich the children’s lives. Additionally, through another previous expansion of the program, his wife’s pre- and postnatal care have been covered through Medicaid.

“They have coverage for whatever situation arises,” Juan said. “We feel happy and more secure. When you don’t have insurance, it’s more complicated — even if it’s just one adult. But I’m happy because my kids are covered.”