State officials and health care leaders in Connecticut are awaiting federal guidance as they work to understand the new work requirements for public benefits included in President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax cuts and spending package.
Trump’s signature legislation was signed into law last week, but leaders in Connecticut say they have been trying to brace for its impact since the president took office.
Vulnerable people are at risk, said Andrea Barton Reeves, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Social Services. She and other officials gathered Monday to discuss the impact the bill will have on Connecticut.
The legislation is “a nightmare having come to pass,” Barton Reeves said.
“The Office of Management and Budget suggests that by 2035, 11 million people in the United States will have lost health care because of what has happened under this bill,” Barton Reeves said. “It’s truly unconscionable to think that there is a tradeoff between living with dignity and care and a tax cut. There really is no equivalency there.”
Barton Reeves also refuted claims that the new work requirements would root out waste or people taking advantage of the system.
“This isn’t about laziness,” she said, noting the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that 73% of people in Connecticut who are on Medicaid are working, and over 60% of people on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps, are also employed.
“This is not about sloth, this is not about any of the myths that are being perpetuated about poor and low-income people,” Barton Reeves said. “These are about the people who have families and work two and three jobs. These are about the people in hospitals. These are about the people in nursing homes.”
The legislation requires many adults without young children to work, volunteer or attend school for 20 hours per week. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the requirement will reduce Medicaid spending by $344 billion over the next decade, by leaving 4.8 million more people without health insurance.
But Connecticut Republican Party Chairman Ben Proto told Connecticut Public the new work requirements on Medicaid will not force people off the program.
“Are you then gonna say: 'Well I'd rather not receive my Medicaid than go volunteer at my local community center or my library or my YMCA or go work for 20 hours a week?” Proto said.
Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont called on state lawmakers from across the aisle to speak out on the federal measure and address the additional trillions of dollars the bill would add to the federal deficit over the next four years, something he said the state has tried to avoid by protecting its own so-called fiscal guardrails.
“We’re paying down our debts and we’re coming forward with an honestly balanced budget. They’re not doing that in Washington D.C.,” Lamont said. “I want to hear from Republicans in this state. Would they have supported this bill or not? Because it’s impacting our kids, it’s impacting our seniors.”
Connecticut Republicans have applauded the federal legislation for its changes to state and local tax deductions, called SALT. A cap on deductions will quadruple to $40,000.
“The increase in the SALT deduction from $10,000 to $40,000 will help millions of Connecticut citizens reduce both their federal and state income tax burdens,” Proto said in a statement last week.
Proto continued: “Connecticut Republicans are proud to stand with President Trump as we continue the fight to restore prosperity, safety, and pride in our nation. While Democrats focused on obstruction and division, Republicans got to work — and Republicans got it done.”
Vincent Candelora, the Connecticut House Republican leader, told the Hartford Courant that “generally speaking … neither side of the aisle at the federal level is free from criticism.”
“We have had a process that has been broken for decades,” Candelora told the Courant.
This story includes reporting by Connecticut Public's Matt Dwyer.
