Though Gov. Ned Lamont pledged $70 million in early December to partly offset vanishing federal aid for health insurance, prices quoted by the state’s health exchange don’t reflect that assistance yet — and might not until late March. A high-ranking state budget official said this weekend that while it could take months to deliver the planned relief, the administration is committed to making this process work. “It is one of the unfortunate things when you set up a brand-new system,” Claudio Gualtieri, a senior policy advisor at the Office of Policy and Management — Lamont’s chief fiscal and policy planning agency — told the Connecticut Mirror. “We’ve moved with lightning speed to try to get this done.” Lamont announced Dec. 11 that he would dedicate $70 million in state funds to assist Connecticut families and individuals who collectively lost $295 million in federal tax credits on Jan. 1 that could have been used to help purchase health insurance. Access Health CT, the state’s health insurance marketplace, typically opens enrollment on Nov. 15 each year, with the goal of getting most consumers into new or renewed plans effective Jan. 1. The exchange has extended enrollment through Jan. 31 with the goal of getting most customers into policies by Feb. 1, and another extension is possible, Gualtieri said. And its website does include a page that outlines the income categories for customers eligible for the assistance Lamont outlined last month. Households with yearly income between 100% and 200% of the Federal Poverty Level could receive a state subsidy equal to 100% of expired federal aid. And those between 400% and 500% of the FPL could receive state assistance equal to half of expiring federal credits. But the actual prices reflecting those discounts haven’t been added to the system yet. Connecticut also must develop new contracts with the insurance companies that will receive these new state subsidies, though Gualtieri said that process nearly is complete. Still, could consumers — particularly those not aware of the governor’s plan — opt not to purchase coverage, believing it to be unaffordable? James Michel, chief executive officer for Access Health CT, declined to be interviewed, but he wrote in a statement that “IT system changes will take a bit longer to implement.” Michel added that his organization is taking several outreach steps to eliminate confusion. Tens of thousands of people currently enrolled, or who were enrolled last year, will begin receiving letters or emails soon with information about the new state subsidy plan. Brokers and program counselors also are prepared with this information and will explain it to customers. Access Health CT “is working as quickly as possible with the state of Connecticut, the Office of Policy and Management and the insurance companies to put these changes in place and to help Connecticut consumers,” Michel added. Those who already purchased policies for 2026 but subsequently have learned they’re eligible for the governor’s relief plan can amend those applications online, Gualtieri said. Both new applicants and those filing amendments should check the appropriate box indicating they are seeking financial help and should include their income information, he added. To be eligible for the new state assistance, applicants also must enroll in a “Bronze,” “Silver,” or “Gold” coverage plan. They cannot select a minimal coverage, “catastrophic” plan. And while consumers could pay higher monthly premiums that don’t reflect Lamont’s assistance plan between now and the end of March, state officials are optimistic those customers would be fully reimbursed through premium discounts later in the year. “Access Health CT, the state and the insurance carriers’ expectation is an individual will be able to fully maximize the savings,” Gualtieri said, though “there may be a lag to make someone whole.” Connecticut officials have been scrambling for months to respond to massive changes in federal assistance, both to state governments and directly to households. The GOP-controlled Congress and President Donald Trump agreed last July to eliminate health insurance tax credits and to cut deeply into Medicaid and nutrition assistance to help finance big federal tax cuts aimed chiefly at high-income households. Though the U.S. House voted earlier this month to revive those credits, no agreement has been reached yet in the Senate. “We want to do everything we can to … mitigate the pain and confusion that could impact a lot of people,” Lamont said on Dec. 11. In a November special session, the General Assembly dedicated $500 million from last fiscal year’s $2.5 billion state budget surplus to mitigate federal cutbacks to health care and other human services, granting the governor broad discretion to assign those funds. Besides tapping $70 million for a one-year plan to offset eliminated tax credits, Lamont also has assigned $168 million from that reserve to bolster nutrition assistance, Planned Parenthood, programs to combat homelessness and other human service initiatives. ...read more read less