Hearing held on Conn. Medicaid rules changes

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Advocates for the needy are urging Connecticut lawmakers to oppose a plan to tighten eligibility rules for Connecticut's two-year-old Medicaid health insurance program for needy adults.

Sheldon Toubman, staff attorney at New Haven Legal Assistance, told the Appropriations and Human Services Committees on Tuesday that the state's application seeking federal approval to change its eligibility rules is a "serious mistake." He predicted thousands of people, especially those 19-to-26 years old, will end up without health coverage.

Among other changes, the Department of Social Services has proposed counting a young person's parental assets and income toward eligibility.

Toubman questioned the state's assumption that some parents are "too cheap" to buy coverage for their children.

Twenty-one-year-old Thomas Cooper of Hartford told lawmakers he'll lose coverage if his mother's assets are counted.