HUSKY Health Eligibility in Connecticut: HUSKY A, B, C, and D Income & Household Rules for 2026

Most Connecticut families never see the inside of the Department of Social Services (DSS) office. They apply for health coverage at AccessHealthCT.com, answer a series of questions about income and household composition, and the system tells them whether they qualify for HUSKY, Covered Connecticut, or a marketplace subsidy. But behind that screen sits a 700-page Medicaid policy manual, four distinct programs, three different income-counting methodologies, and a federal-state matching structure that determines what services are covered and how. When a family’s circumstances change — a parent loses a job, a grandparent moves in, a teenager turns 19, a pregnant individual delivers, a small business owner has a profitable year — eligibility can shift between programs without the family realizing it. This article explains exactly who qualifies for HUSKY A, B, C, and D in 2026, what counts as income for each program, how the household is defined, and what to do when the marketplace screen returns a confusing or seemingly wrong answer.

What HUSKY Health Actually Is in 2026

HUSKY Health is the brand name Connecticut uses for its combined Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Medicaid is a federal-state program established under Title XIX of the Social Security Act in 1965 and jointly financed by the federal government and Connecticut. CHIP is a separate federal-state program established under Title XXI in 1997 to cover children in households earning too much for Medicaid but too little to afford private coverage. Connecticut administers both programs through the Department of Social Services (DSS), with eligibility determinations conducted through ImpaCT (the state’s integrated eligibility system) and enrollment supported by Access Health CT (the state-based marketplace). The four HUSKY programs — A, B, C, and D — are the consumer-facing names for distinct eligibility categories with different federal authority, different income rules, and different benefit packages.

Sources: CT DSS HUSKY Health, Access Health CT

As of late 2025, HUSKY Health covered approximately 1.04 million Connecticut residents — roughly 29% of the state population. That figure is down from a pandemic-era peak of approximately 1.18 million in early 2023, after the federal continuous-enrollment requirement under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act ended on March 31, 2023, and Connecticut completed its 14-month unwinding process through May 2024. During the unwinding, approximately 140,000 Connecticut residents lost HUSKY coverage, with about 60% of those losses attributed to procedural reasons (failure to return paperwork) rather than actual ineligibility. Many of those individuals are still uninsured or are now enrolled in Covered Connecticut, qualified health plans through Access Health CT, or employer coverage. This historical context matters because Connecticut’s 2026 redetermination process is much more rigorous than the pre-pandemic process, and households that have not updated their information since 2023 should expect a thorough review at their next renewal.

Sources: KFF Medicaid Unwinding Tracker

The four HUSKY programs differ in funding structure, which affects the services covered. HUSKY A, C, and D are Medicaid programs financed through a federal-state match: Connecticut receives 50% federal match (FMAP) for traditional Medicaid (HUSKY A, C) and 90% federal match for the ACA expansion population (HUSKY D adults). HUSKY B is CHIP, financed at an enhanced federal match (approximately 65% for FFY 2026 after the temporary 23-percentage-point bump expired in October 2024 and the program returned to its base 75% federal match minus state-specific adjustments). Because CHIP is a separate program, HUSKY B has a more limited benefit package than HUSKY A — most notably, HUSKY B requires monthly premiums for higher-income tiers (Band 2 and Band 3) and has cost-sharing for some services, while HUSKY A has no premiums and no cost-sharing. Families with children should always check whether they qualify for HUSKY A before defaulting to HUSKY B.

HUSKY A: Children, Parents, and Pregnant Individuals

HUSKY A is the largest of the four programs by enrollment and the most generous in benefits. It covers three populations: children from birth to age 19 in households at or below 201% of the Federal Poverty Level (the federal Medicaid minimum for children is 138% FPL, but Connecticut covers up to 201% FPL under state-plan authority and then extends to 318% FPL under CHIP for HUSKY B); parents and caretaker relatives in households at or below 160% FPL; and pregnant individuals (including the postpartum period of 12 months following delivery, extended permanently in Connecticut effective April 1, 2022) at or below 263% FPL. In 2026, with the federal poverty guidelines released by HHS in January 2026, the actual dollar income limits are approximately: for a family of one, $20,180/year at 138% FPL and $38,490/year at 263% FPL; for a family of four, $41,400/year at 138% FPL and $78,914/year at 263% FPL. These figures will be updated when the January 2026 HHS guidelines are formally published; for current numbers, always check the AccessHealthCT.com calculator.

Sources: HHS Poverty Guidelines, Medicaid.gov Children

HUSKY A benefits include essentially all medically necessary care with no premiums and no cost-sharing for the vast majority of services. Covered services include: inpatient and outpatient hospital care; primary care, specialist care, and behavioral health (including in-network mental health and substance-use disorder treatment with parity protections under MHPAEA and state Bulletin IC-38); prescription drugs through the Pharmacy Benefit Program (administered directly by DSS, not through a Pharmacy Benefits Manager, with the Connecticut Medicaid Preferred Drug List); dental care (full pediatric and adult dental coverage through CTDHP/BeneCare, including cleanings, fillings, extractions, root canals, crowns, dentures, and orthodontia for medically necessary cases); vision (annual eye exams and eyeglasses for children, biennial exams for adults); hearing (hearing aids covered for adults with documented hearing loss); EPSDT (Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment) for children, which is a federal entitlement to all medically necessary services for under-21 enrollees regardless of state plan limits; non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) through Veyo; durable medical equipment; home health services; and skilled nursing facility care for short-term post-acute stays.

Sources: CT Dental Health Partnership

Pregnant-individual coverage under HUSKY A is one of the most consequential expansions of Connecticut Medicaid in the past decade. Effective April 1, 2022, Connecticut extended postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to 12 months following the end of pregnancy, using the option created by Section 9812 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The 12-month extension covers all medically necessary care, including the full range of behavioral health services that are critical in the postpartum period (postpartum depression affects roughly 1 in 8 birthing parents nationally, and untreated postpartum depression is a leading driver of long-term health and economic harm to both parent and child). The pregnant-individual income limit of 263% FPL is higher than the parent/caretaker limit of 160% FPL, which means a person can qualify for HUSKY A during pregnancy and for 12 months postpartum and then transition to HUSKY D or a marketplace plan once the postpartum period ends.

Sources: CMS Postpartum Coverage

HUSKY A enrollment is delivered through a managed care arrangement called HUSKY Health, which uses an Administrative Services Organization (ASO) model rather than a capitated managed care organization (MCO) model. Connecticut moved away from MCO Medicaid in 2012 and now uses Community Health Network of Connecticut (CHNCT) as the ASO for medical services, Beacon Health Options (now part of Carelon Behavioral Health) for behavioral health, CTDHP/BeneCare for dental, and Veyo for non-emergency medical transportation. This means a HUSKY A enrollee does not have to choose between MCOs and can see any HUSKY-enrolled provider. The downside is that some providers do not accept HUSKY because of below-market reimbursement rates — finding a primary care physician or specialist accepting new HUSKY patients can be difficult in certain Connecticut counties, particularly Fairfield and parts of Litchfield. The 2-1-1 hotline and CHNCT member services can help locate participating providers.

HUSKY B: CHIP for Higher-Income Children

HUSKY B is Connecticut’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), covering children from birth to age 19 in households with income above the HUSKY A child-eligibility threshold (201% FPL) up to 318% FPL. HUSKY B is organized into three income bands with progressively higher cost-sharing: Band 1 covers children in households between 201% and 249% FPL with no monthly premium and no cost-sharing; Band 2 covers households between 250% and 299% FPL with a monthly premium of approximately $30 per child (capped at $50 per family) and minimal cost-sharing for some services; Band 3 covers households between 300% and 318% FPL with a monthly premium of approximately $50 per child (capped at $75 per family) and a $100 inpatient hospital copay. The premium amounts shown here reflect long-standing Connecticut HUSKY B policy; verify current amounts on the AccessHealthCT.com and ct.gov/dss websites before quoting them to clients.

Sources: CT HUSKY B, Medicaid.gov CHIP

HUSKY B benefits closely mirror HUSKY A benefits: comprehensive medical care, prescription drugs, dental, vision, hearing, behavioral health, and non-emergency medical transportation. The most significant benefit differences from HUSKY A are: HUSKY B has a $5,000 annual benefit limit on durable medical equipment (HUSKY A has no annual limit); HUSKY B has a 12-month waiting period for previously insured children (waived if the prior coverage was lost due to job loss or other qualifying events, which covers most realistic cases); HUSKY B has copays for prescription drugs in Bands 2 and 3 ($1–$3 for generics, $3–$5 for brand-name); and HUSKY B has the cost-sharing maximum of 5% of household income, applied through tracking by CHNCT. EPSDT does not apply to HUSKY B because CHIP is a separate program from Medicaid — this is a meaningful distinction for children with significant medical needs because EPSDT’s open-ended ‘all medically necessary services’ requirement covers therapies and equipment that may be capped or excluded under HUSKY B.

A practical implication for Connecticut families: a child with a developmental disability, autism spectrum diagnosis, complex medical needs, or chronic condition may receive substantially better coverage under HUSKY A than under HUSKY B due to EPSDT. Families with income near the 201% FPL boundary (approximately $60,300/year for a family of four in 2026) should examine whether income-deduction opportunities — pre-tax retirement contributions, HSA contributions, dependent care FSA, or self-employed business deductions — can bring MAGI below the threshold to qualify the child for HUSKY A rather than HUSKY B. A broker working with a family of four with $63,000 MAGI and an autistic child may recommend increasing the parent’s 401(k) contribution by $3,000 to drop MAGI below $60,300 and unlock HUSKY A’s EPSDT-funded ABA therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy without the HUSKY B caps and copays.

Sources: CMS EPSDT

HUSKY C: Aged, Blind, Disabled, and LTSS

HUSKY C is Connecticut’s traditional non-MAGI Medicaid program for aged adults (65+), blind adults, and disabled adults of any age. Unlike HUSKY A and D, HUSKY C uses Supplemental Security Income (SSI)-based methodology to count income and applies an asset test. The basic HUSKY C income limit for an individual in 2026 is approximately $1,255/month (100% of the SSI Federal Benefit Rate plus the State Supplement) and the asset limit is $1,600 for an individual or $2,400 for a couple. These low limits reflect HUSKY C’s federal Medicaid SSI-related eligibility framework, but Connecticut maintains several pathways above these baseline limits — most importantly, the Medically Needy program (MED Plan) and HUSKY C Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) coverage with the higher LTSS income limit of $2,901/month in 2026 (300% of the SSI Federal Benefit Rate) for the long-term-care-eligible individual.

Sources: SSA SSI Federal Benefit Rates, Medicaid LTSS

The HUSKY C Medically Needy program (also called the MED Plan or Excess Income Medicaid) allows individuals whose income exceeds the basic HUSKY C limit to qualify by ‘spending down’ their excess income on medical expenses each month. A Connecticut individual with $2,400/month in Social Security and pension income would have excess income of $1,145 above the $1,255 basic limit; if that individual incurs $1,145 or more in qualifying medical expenses (Medicare premiums, deductibles, copays, prescription drugs, dental, vision, durable medical equipment, etc.) in a given month, HUSKY C MED Plan covers the rest of their medical care for that month after the spend-down is met. The spend-down can be applied monthly or in a six-month period. For long-term care patients, the spend-down is typically met very quickly because of the high cost of nursing home care.

Sources: CT DSS Long-Term Care

HUSKY C LTSS is the most important pathway for Connecticut residents needing nursing home care, assisted living waiver services, or home and community-based services (HCBS). The 2026 LTSS income limit is 300% of the SSI Federal Benefit Rate, approximately $2,901/month for an individual, with a community spouse income allowance (Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance, MMMNA) of approximately $2,555/month minimum and $3,948/month maximum for the spouse remaining in the community. The asset limit for the LTSS-eligible individual is $1,600, but the community spouse is permitted to retain the Community Spouse Resource Allowance (CSRA) of $30,828 minimum and $154,140 maximum in 2026 (the federal minimum and maximum, which Connecticut applies). Connecticut also exempts the primary residence (up to a home equity limit of approximately $730,000 in 2026), one vehicle, prepaid burial accounts, term life insurance, and qualified long-term care insurance partnership-protected assets. The 60-month asset look-back applies, with transfers within the look-back triggering a penalty period.

Sources: CMS Spousal Impoverishment

Disabled adults under 65 qualify for HUSKY C under one of three pathways: SSI recipients (automatic Medicaid in Connecticut as a 1634 state); SSDI recipients with disability determinations (typically with a 24-month Medicare-eligibility waiting period during which HUSKY C provides primary coverage if income and asset limits are met); and the Medicaid Buy-In for Working People with Disabilities (MED-Connect), which allows disabled adults working at higher income levels to buy into HUSKY C with a small monthly premium. MED-Connect is particularly important for Connecticut residents with chronic disabilities who can work part-time or full-time but need to maintain HUSKY C coverage for prescription drugs, durable medical equipment, personal care attendants, or home and community-based services that employer insurance does not cover. The income limit for MED-Connect is approximately $90,440/year and the asset limit is $10,000 (excluding retirement accounts).

Sources: CT MED-Connect

HUSKY D: Adult Expansion Medicaid (19–64)

HUSKY D is Connecticut’s ACA Medicaid expansion program, covering childless adults aged 19–64 in households at or below 138% of the Federal Poverty Level. In 2026, this is approximately $20,780/year for an individual, $28,200/year for a couple, $35,620/year for a family of three, and $43,040/year for a family of four (preliminary figures based on the 2025 guidelines plus an estimated 2026 update; check AccessHealthCT.com for the final 2026 numbers). Unlike HUSKY C, HUSKY D has no asset test and uses MAGI methodology — only income counts, and only the income types included in MAGI (wages, self-employment net income, Social Security benefits in full, interest, dividends, capital gains, retirement distributions, etc.). Connecticut expanded Medicaid effective January 1, 2014 under the ACA, and the federal government funds 90% of HUSKY D claims through the enhanced federal match for the expansion population.

Sources: Medicaid Expansion

HUSKY D benefits are functionally identical to HUSKY A benefits with one exception: HUSKY D adults are subject to the Alternative Benefit Plan (ABP) structure required by the ACA expansion, which is the same set of essential health benefits as a Connecticut benchmark commercial plan. In practice, HUSKY D covers all the same services as HUSKY A — inpatient/outpatient care, primary care, specialist care, behavioral health, prescription drugs, dental (with limits), vision, hearing aids, non-emergency medical transportation, durable medical equipment, home health, and skilled nursing facility for short-term post-acute care. HUSKY D does not cover long-term nursing home care for stays exceeding 100 days post-hospitalization — for long-term care, the individual must transition to HUSKY C LTSS. HUSKY D also does not include the EPSDT entitlement (because EPSDT is for under-21 enrollees only), which is irrelevant for the 19–64 adult population.

HUSKY D has been the gateway program for many Connecticut residents who would otherwise be uninsured: low-wage workers without employer coverage, gig economy workers, recently unemployed individuals, individuals in transition between jobs, and adults in recovery from substance use disorder who need consistent access to medication-assisted treatment and behavioral health services. HUSKY D is also the program most affected by income volatility — a Connecticut adult earning $1,500/month in wages plus occasional freelance income may qualify for HUSKY D in some months and lose eligibility in others as income crosses the 138% FPL threshold. The 12-month continuous eligibility rule for HUSKY D protects against month-to-month churn by locking in eligibility for 12 months once approved, unless the individual reports a significant income increase, moves out of state, gains other coverage, or fails to respond to redetermination requests.

How Income Is Counted: MAGI vs Non-MAGI Rules

Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) is the income-counting methodology used for HUSKY A (children, parents, pregnant individuals), HUSKY B, HUSKY D, Covered Connecticut, and marketplace premium tax credits. MAGI starts with Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) from the federal tax return and adds back: tax-exempt interest (Form 1040, Line 2a); foreign earned income exclusion; and the non-taxable portion of Social Security benefits (the portion not included in AGI under the income-thresholds rules). MAGI does NOT include: child support received; veterans’ benefits; workers’ compensation; gifts and inheritances; the value of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits; Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance; or scholarships used for tuition. The MAGI calculation is performed automatically by AccessHealthCT.com when the applicant enters their tax-return information, but the underlying rule is what matters when a family is on the eligibility boundary.

Sources: Healthcare.gov MAGI, IRS Form 1040

Non-MAGI rules apply to HUSKY C (aged, blind, disabled) and to the LTSS pathways. Non-MAGI uses SSI methodology, which counts most income types in full: Social Security retirement and disability benefits (full gross amount, not reduced by the Medicare Part B premium), Veterans benefits including aid and attendance, pensions including federal, state, military, and private pensions, IRA distributions whether or not they are required minimum distributions, annuity payments, rental income, and interest and dividend income. SSI methodology applies a series of income disregards: the first $20/month of any unearned income is disregarded (general income disregard), and earned income receives a $65/month earned income disregard plus 50% of remaining earned income disregarded. These disregards mean a working disabled individual can have substantially more earned income than the basic SSI Federal Benefit Rate while still qualifying for SSI-related Medicaid.

Sources: SSA SSI Income Rules

Self-employment income presents the most common eligibility-determination challenge for Connecticut MAGI applicants. The MAGI calculation uses net self-employment income (gross receipts minus allowable business expenses on Schedule C or Schedule F), not gross receipts. A Connecticut realtor with $95,000 in gross commissions and $42,000 in legitimate business deductions (vehicle, marketing, MLS dues, E&O insurance, home office, professional development) has $53,000 in net self-employment income, which after the self-employed health insurance deduction and the 50% self-employment tax deduction yields MAGI of approximately $47,000 — substantially below the parent/caretaker HUSKY A limit for a family of three (160% FPL = $42,760, so still above HUSKY A but eligible for marketplace subsidies). The application asks for projected annual self-employment net income, not gross — answering gross is the most common cause of incorrect denial.

Household Composition and Tax-Filing Rules

MAGI household composition for HUSKY A, B, and D follows the tax-filing household rules established by the ACA. The household includes the tax filer, the tax filer’s spouse if filing jointly, and all dependents claimed on the tax return. For an individual who is not a tax filer and not a dependent, the household includes only the individual, their spouse if living with them, and their natural, adopted, or step-children under 19 living in the home. For a dependent child, the household is the household of the tax filer who claims the child. These rules can produce counterintuitive results: a 22-year-old college student who lives with their parents and earns $8,000 from a part-time job, but is claimed as a dependent by their parents, has a MAGI household equal to the parents’ household (4 people, $95,000 income) rather than the student’s own (1 person, $8,000 income). The student is therefore evaluated against the higher-income household’s eligibility rules and may not qualify for HUSKY when they would qualify if evaluated independently.

Pregnant individuals count as the pregnant person plus the number of children expected. A pregnant individual expecting twins counts as a household of three (the pregnant individual + two expected children) when determining her own eligibility for HUSKY A pregnant-individual coverage. This rule materially raises the FPL income limit for pregnant individuals: at 263% FPL for a household of three (approximately $69,860/year in 2026), versus 263% FPL for a household of one ($38,490/year). A pregnant Connecticut resident earning $52,000/year would not qualify as a household of one but would qualify as a household of three. The household-size rule applies during the pregnancy and is recomputed after delivery using the actual household size.

Non-MAGI household rules for HUSKY C follow a different methodology: the household is generally the individual alone (household of one) for income-counting purposes, but spousal impoverishment rules apply when one spouse needs LTSS and the other remains in the community. Under spousal impoverishment, the LTSS-eligible spouse’s income is counted alone (with a personal needs allowance of approximately $75/month in 2026 and the Medicare and supplemental insurance premium deductions), while the community spouse retains their own income and a portion of the institutionalized spouse’s income up to the MMMNA limit. The CSRA permits the community spouse to retain assets up to the federal maximum without affecting the institutionalized spouse’s Medicaid eligibility. These rules are highly technical and require a Connecticut elder law attorney or experienced LTSS Medicaid planner for cases involving significant assets, family-owned homes, or multi-state property.

Immigration Status, Five-Year Bar, and Covered CT

Immigration status determines which HUSKY programs a Connecticut resident can access. U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, and qualified non-citizens (lawful permanent residents, refugees, asylees, persons granted withholding of deportation, Cuban and Haitian entrants, certain victims of trafficking, certain abused spouses and children, and certain Iraqi and Afghan special immigrants) are generally eligible for HUSKY when they meet other criteria. However, most lawful permanent residents are subject to the ‘five-year bar’ established by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) — they cannot access federal Medicaid for the first five years after obtaining qualified non-citizen status. Connecticut has adopted the ICHIA option (Immigrant Children’s Health Improvement Act), which waives the five-year bar for lawfully residing children under 19 and pregnant individuals — these populations are eligible for HUSKY A immediately upon qualified non-citizen status without the five-year wait.

Sources: CMS Lawfully Residing Immigrants

Adult lawful permanent residents subject to the five-year bar are not eligible for HUSKY A (parents), HUSKY C (basic), or HUSKY D during the bar period. They are, however, eligible for: emergency Medicaid for emergency medical conditions (including labor and delivery) regardless of immigration status; Covered Connecticut (Connecticut’s wraparound program that pays the consumer’s share of the cost for marketplace plans for households at or below 175% FPL) if they otherwise qualify; and ACA marketplace premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions through Access Health CT. The marketplace pathway is critical for the immigrant adult population during the five-year bar: a family with two lawfully residing parents in the bar period and two U.S. citizen children would have the children on HUSKY A or B and the parents on Covered Connecticut or a subsidized marketplace plan.

Sources: CT Covered Connecticut

Connecticut also extended HUSKY coverage to undocumented children under HUSKY for Immigrants legislation (Public Act 21-176 and subsequent expansions). Effective January 1, 2023, Connecticut began covering all children regardless of immigration status up to age 8 if otherwise eligible (income-based); the age was extended to age 12 effective January 1, 2024 and then to age 15 effective July 1, 2025. Continued expansions through age 18 have been considered by the General Assembly but require a state-funded budget appropriation because federal Medicaid funds cannot be used for undocumented individuals. Pregnant individuals regardless of immigration status are also covered under HUSKY through state-funded coverage during pregnancy and the 12-month postpartum period. Undocumented adults are not eligible for HUSKY or marketplace coverage and must rely on community health centers (FQHCs like Charter Oak Health Center, Community Health Center Inc., and Cornell Scott Hill Health Center), hospital charity care, and out-of-pocket payment.

Sources: Connecticut General Assembly

Families That Fall Between Medicaid and the Marketplace

Many Connecticut families have income or household configurations that put them on the boundary between HUSKY and the marketplace. Common scenarios include: a married couple with two children where one parent works full-time at $58,000/year and the other parent is unemployed — the children qualify for HUSKY A (under 201% FPL = $60,300 for a family of four) but the parents do not qualify for HUSKY A (parent/caretaker limit of 160% FPL = $48,000 for a family of four). The parents are eligible for Covered Connecticut if under 175% FPL or for subsidized marketplace plans otherwise. A second common scenario: a self-employed Connecticut individual whose income fluctuates above and below 138% FPL depending on the year. A third scenario: a recent retiree (age 62) who is too young for Medicare and has Social Security retirement income plus IRA withdrawals — eligibility depends on whether the income is above or below 138% FPL for HUSKY D and on the asset configuration for HUSKY C (if 65+).

When a family has mixed eligibility (some members on HUSKY, others on marketplace), the strategic decisions become complex. The HUSKY-enrolled members generally have no out-of-pocket cost for medical care and have access to a broad set of providers through the HUSKY Health network. The marketplace-enrolled members face premiums, deductibles, copays, and provider network restrictions based on the chosen plan. The marketplace allows the family to choose one plan that covers all marketplace-enrolled members, which simplifies administration but may require trade-offs between premium cost and network breadth. A broker walks the family through the implications, ensures the application correctly identifies which household members are seeking HUSKY versus marketplace coverage, and confirms that providers used by HUSKY members and marketplace members are appropriately credentialed in both networks.

The most consequential boundary issue in 2026 is the 138% FPL cliff for adults transitioning between HUSKY D and the marketplace. Below 138% FPL, an adult qualifies for HUSKY D with no premium, no deductible, no copays, and the comprehensive Medicaid benefit package. Above 138% FPL, the adult is eligible for marketplace premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions, and below 175% FPL, may qualify for Covered Connecticut (which covers all premium and cost-sharing for a Silver-level plan). Between 175% and 200% FPL, the consumer is eligible for the maximum cost-sharing reductions (CSR 94 plan) plus full premium tax credit, which is often very affordable. Between 200% and 400% FPL, premium tax credits and CSR are reduced as income rises. The boundary between HUSKY D and Covered Connecticut at 138% FPL is technically a transition rather than a cliff because Covered Connecticut is designed to provide similar affordability for the next tier of income — but the provider network and benefit structure differ, and the family must navigate the change.

Sources: Covered Connecticut Program, Healthcare.gov Subsidies

How a Connecticut Broker Helps With HUSKY Eligibility

A Connecticut-licensed health insurance broker who is certified by Access Health CT as a Marketplace Assister or Certified Broker can submit HUSKY applications on behalf of Connecticut residents at no cost. The broker is not paid by HUSKY (Medicaid pays no commissions) and is not paid by Covered Connecticut (the state pays no commissions for Covered Connecticut enrollments), but the broker provides this service as part of the value proposition to families who may have some members on HUSKY and others on commission-paying marketplace plans. The broker’s role for HUSKY-eligible households includes: confirming MAGI methodology and household composition is applied correctly; identifying income-deduction opportunities that change eligibility (retirement plan contributions, HSA, FSA, self-employed health insurance deduction); helping the family choose the optimal mix of programs across household members; assisting with the application paperwork and document submission; and supporting the family through annual redeterminations to avoid procedural disenrollment.

Sources: Access Health CT Brokers

The broker’s most valuable function for HUSKY-boundary families is scenario modeling: ‘If your income increases by $5,000 next year, here is what happens to your HUSKY eligibility and your marketplace subsidy.’ This modeling helps families understand the financial implications of work decisions, business investments, retirement contributions, and other choices. For a Connecticut self-employed individual considering whether to take on additional contract work that would push household MAGI from 130% FPL to 145% FPL, the modeling answers questions like: Will the additional income offset the loss of HUSKY D coverage and the start of marketplace premiums? What is the effective marginal tax rate when health insurance costs are factored in? The broker provides this analysis using carrier rate tables and Covered Connecticut calculators that AccessHealthCT.com does not natively expose.

The broker’s third function is annual review during HUSKY redetermination. Every HUSKY enrollee is subject to an annual eligibility review, with the date based on the original enrollment month. When the redetermination packet arrives from DSS, the broker can review the materials with the family, ensure all required documents are submitted on time, and respond to DSS requests for additional information. During the 2023–2024 unwinding, families that worked with brokers were substantially less likely to experience procedural disenrollment than families that managed the process alone. The broker continues to provide this annual support as part of the ongoing service relationship — not just at the original enrollment point.

Frequently Asked Questions