AARP Connecticut Analyzing Governor Lamont Budget Proposal

AARP Connecticut State Director Nora Duncan provided the following statement in regards to Governor Ned Lamont’s budget proposal:

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont presented an early commitment to home and community-based services, ensuring older residents and people with disabilities can live and age in the most appropriate and least restrictive setting possible, in his budget proposal today. The cost savings we already see from moving people into community settings and out of institutions are even more effectively achieved when we also commit to supporting the unpaid family caregiver, the backbone of our health care system. We are pleased that the budget reflects the Governor’s campaign commitment to paid family and medical leave, a critical support for Connecticut’s 459,000 unpaid family caregivers who provide 427 million hours of care annually valued at over $5.9 billion.

Governor Lamont’s Medicare Savings Program asset test proposal is concerning. Connecticut successfully reduced costs, and in many cases, increased benefits for lower to middle-income Medicare recipients through the Medicare Savings Program. It was the result of significant negotiations, designed to reduce state budget expenditures and maximize federal dollars, which closed the state funded ConnPACE prescription drug program. It is a critical program and while the Governor’s proposal does not stand-alone, it does raise eyebrows. AARP opposes asset testing and given our efforts to reduce prescription drug costs for everyone, as well as the very high cost of living in our state, we will carefully analyze the impact on older Connecticut residents who often already struggle to remain in their homes and communities.

We look forward to working with Governor Lamont and the Connecticut General Assembly on the biennial budget over the coming months.