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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 1090
January Session, 2021
AN ACT ESTABLISHING A COMMISSION TO STUD Y A HUSKY FOR
ALL SINGLE PAYER, UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE PROGRAM.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (Effective July 1, 2021) (a) As used in this section, "HUSKY 1
for All Single Payer, Universal Health Care Program" means a single 2
payer, universal health care program that: (1) Eliminates duplicative 3
health insurance programs and resulting duplicative costs to the extent 4
permissible under state and federal law; (2) consolidates oversight, 5
payment and risk under one public or quasi-public entity; (3) eliminates 6
coverage limits and cost sharing requirements, including, but not 7
limited to, (A) deductibles, (B) copayments, and (C) coinsurance; (4) 8
incorporates prescription drug price controls; and (5) establishes 9
budgets and payment systems for hospitals for overnight care and a 10
uniform fee schedule for health care providers not providing overnight 11
care. 12
(b) There is established a commission to study establishing a HUSKY 13
for All Single Payer, Universal Health Care Program in the state. The 14
commission shall contract with an independent person or entity for an 15
economic analysis of establishing such program. Such person or entity 16
shall have completed not less than two such economic analyses of 17
establishing a single payer, universal health care program on the state 18 Substitute Bill No. 1090
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or federal level. 19
(c) The commission shall be composed of: 20
(1) The executive director of the Office of Health Strategy, established 21
pursuant to section 19a-754a of the general statutes, or the executive 22
director's designee; 23
(2) The chief executive officer of the Connecticut Health Insurance 24
Exchange, established pursuant to section 38a-1081 of the general 25
statutes, or the chief executive officer's designee; 26
(3) The chairperson of the Council on Medical Assistance Program 27
Oversight, established pursuant to section 17b-28 of the general statutes, 28
or the chairperson's designee; 29
(4) The Healthcare Advocate, appointed pursuant to section 38a-1042 30
of the general statutes, or the Healthcare Advocate's designee; 31
(5) The chairpersons of the Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight 32
Council, established pursuant to section 17a-22j of the general statutes, 33
or their designees; 34
(6) The chairpersons of the joint standing committees of the General 35
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services, 36
insurance, labor and public health, or their designees; 37
(7) At least four health care consumers appointed by the chairpersons 38
of the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having 39
cognizance of matters relating to human services, insurance, labor and 40
public health and at least two health care consumers appointed by the 41
ranking members of said committees, including, but not limited to, 42
persons who have (A) collected unemployment within the two-year 43
period preceding July 1, 2021, (B) been without health insurance for at 44
least three months within the two-year period preceding July 1, 2021, 45
(C) obtained insurance through the Consolidated Omnibus Budget 46
Reconciliation Act, or COBRA, due to circumstances including a 47 Substitute Bill No. 1090
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voluntary or involuntary job loss within the two-year period preceding 48
July 1, 2021, (D) filed an individual income tax return itemizing medical 49
expenses in the five-year period preceding July 1, 2021, (E) ever been 50
ineligible to buy health insurance through the Connecticut Health 51
Insurance Exchange, or (F) been without health insurance and lack legal 52
immigration status. 53
(8) The Insurance Commissioner and the Commissioner of Social 54
Services, or their designees; 55
(9) The chief executive officer of the Connecticut Hospital 56
Association, or the chief executive officer's designee; 57
(10) The president of the Connecticut State Medical Society, or the 58
president's designee; 59
(11) Two providers of medical services under the medical assistance 60
program and two persons who receive such services under the program, 61
appointed by the chairperson of the Council on Medical Assistance 62
Program Oversight; 63
(12) One representative each from Health Equity Solutions and 64
United States of Care, appointed by the executive director of the Office 65
of Health Strategy; 66
(13) Two representatives of the private health insurance industry, 67
appointed by the executive director of the Office of Health Strategy in 68
consultation with the president of the Connecticut Association of Health 69
Plans; 70
(14) Two representatives of labor unions representing employees 71
who work in health care fields and one representative each from the 72
Service Employees International Union and United Electrical Radio and 73
Machine Workers of America, Local 222, appointed by the executive 74
director of the Office of Health Strategy; 75
(15) Two persons from academia with expertise in economics or 76 Substitute Bill No. 1090
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health insurance, or both, appointed by the executive director of the 77
Office of Health Strategy, provided such persons shall not be among the 78
independent persons contracting with the commission to produce an 79
economic analysis of establishing a HUSKY for All Single Payer, 80
Universal Health Care Program; 81
(16) One representative from a community health center appointed 82
by the executive director of the Office of Health Strategy; 83
(17) One representative from HealthCare Now appointed by the 84
executive director of the Office of Health Strategy; 85
(18) The executive director of the Commission on Women, Children, 86
Seniors, Equity and Opportunity, or the executive director's designee; 87
and 88
(19) Two representatives of nonprofit organizations that provide 89
direct legal representation to low-income Medicaid enrollees. 90
(d) The commission shall meet not later than thirty days after the 91
effective date of this section. The executive director of the Office of 92
Health Strategy, or the executive director's designee, shall serve as a 93
chairperson of the commission and a second chairperson shall be chosen 94
by the commission from among the members of the commission. The 95
joint committee on legislative management shall provide administrative 96
support to the commission. Any vacancies shall be filled by the 97
appointing authority. If another appointing authority does not fill a 98
vacancy within thirty days, the executive director of the Office of Health 99
Strategy shall fill the vacancy. 100
(e) The commission shall study: 101
(1) Current health care spending, including, but not limited to: (A) 102
State costs for the medical assistance program, (B) state costs for the 103
Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange, (C) average individual 104
consumer monthly health care costs for (i) participation in medical 105
assistance programs requiring cost sharing by a participant, (ii) 106 Substitute Bill No. 1090
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premiums and out-of-pocket costs for participants in the Connecticut 107
Health Insurance Exchange, (iii) premiums and out-of-pocket costs for 108
private health insurance plans, and (iv) premiums and out-of-pocket 109
costs for Medicare supplement plans, Medicare health maintenance 110
organization plans and Medicare drug plans, (D) the costs for 111
municipalities for both employees and retirees, and (E) the costs for 112
small businesses and independent contractors. 113
(2) Sources of current health care financing, including, but not limited 114
to: (A) Federal cost sharing for the medical assistance program, (B) 115
employer and employee costs for private health insurance, (C) federal 116
cost sharing for the Medicare program, and (D) participant cost sharing 117
under the medical assistance program or the Medicare program. 118
(3) A financing methodology for a HUSKY for All Single Payer, 119
Universal Health Care Program, including, but not limited to, whether 120
such program should be financed, in part, through taxation on 121
employers and employees. 122
(4) An economic analysis of establishing a HUSKY for All Single 123
Payer, Universal Health Care Program, including, but not limited to, a 124
comparison of: (A) State costs for the medical assistance program and 125
oversight by the Insurance Department of private health care insurance 126
and state costs under a HUSKY for All Single Payer, Universal Health 127
Care Program, (B) consumer costs for private health care insurance and 128
consumer costs under a HUSKY for All Single Payer, Universal Health 129
Care Program, including any costs if the program is covered in part by 130
taxation of a consumer, (C) employer and employee costs for private 131
health care insurance and employer and employee costs if a HUSKY for 132
All Single Payer, Universal Health Care Program is covered in part by 133
taxation of an employer and an employee, and (D) participant cost 134
sharing for medical assistance programs or Medicare and costs for such 135
consumers under a HUSKY for All Single Payer, Universal Health Care 136
Program. 137
(5) Provider payment rates under the medical assistance program, 138 Substitute Bill No. 1090
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Medicare program and the private health insurance market and 139
recommendations for provider payment rates under a HUSKY for All 140
Single Payer, Universal Health Care Program. 141
(6) The number of residents who are without health insurance or who 142
are underinsured under the current health care coverage programs and 143
the number of persons estimated to be without health insurance or 144
underinsured under a HUSKY for All Single Payer, Universal Health 145
Care Program. 146
(7) What entity, or entities, should oversee a HUSKY for All Single 147
Payer, Universal Health Care Program. 148
(8) A timeline for adoption of a HUSKY for All Single Payer, 149
Universal Health Care Program, including, but not limited to, (A) 150
implementing any financing methodology to fund such program, (B) 151
eliminating the oversight of any agencies or offices currently overseeing 152
health care coverage, and (C) creation of new oversight entities. 153
(9) The impact of a single payer, universal health care system on the 154
labor market, including, but not limited to, (A) the ability of employees 155
to move from job to job without the consideration of employer-156
sponsored health care benefits, and (B) the impact on current employees 157
of the private, for-profit health insurance industry transitioning to new 158
employment under a HUSKY for All Single Payer, Universal Health 159
Care Program. 160
(10) The impact of a HUSKY for All Single Payer, Universal Health 161
Care Program on achieving racial equity in access to quality, affordable 162
health care, including, but not limited to, analyses of the program's 163
potential impact on (A) disparities in insurance coverage by race and 164
ethnicity, and (B) barriers for people of color to (i) health insurance 165
enrollment, and (ii) utilization of health insurance. 166
(11) The impact of a HUSKY for All Single Payer, Universal Health 167
Care Program on existing Medicaid enrollees. 168 Substitute Bill No. 1090
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(12) Best practices from efforts in other states and jurisdictions to 169
promote health care affordability and universal health insurance 170
coverage. 171
(f) Not later than January 1, 2022, the commission shall report, in 172
accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, 173
on the results of its study to the Office of Health Strategy and the joint 174
standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of 175
matters relating to human services, insurance, labor, public health and 176
finance, revenue and bonding. The commission shall dissolve on the 177
date such report is submitted, or on January 1, 2022, whichever is later178
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2021 New section
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
In Section 1(b), " such program provided such person or entity has" was
changed to "such program. Such person or entity shall have" for clarity,
and in Section 1(d), the last two sentences were redrafted for clarity and
to eliminate redundancy.
HS Joint Favorable Subst.