Connecticut Medicaid Grew Faster Than Any Other Market in 2024
Connecticut’s Medicaid program spent 14% more per enrollee in 2024 than in 2023, nearly double the per-person cost growth rate for health spending across the state overall. That finding comes from an April 2026 report by the Connecticut Office of Health Strategy, the state agency that tracks health care market performance.
The 14% surge outpaced growth in commercial insurance markets. It also outpaced the state’s voluntary health cost benchmark, a target Connecticut sets to slow overall spending growth.
14% Per-enrollee Medicaid cost increase in Connecticut between 2023 and 2024, nearly double the state’s overall health spending growth rate. Source: CT Office of Health Strategy, April 2026.
Despite that growth, the program still cost less per enrollee than any other insurance market in Connecticut, including employer-sponsored commercial plans.
Why Medicaid’s Lower Costs Matter Now
Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in June 2025. That legislation includes cuts projected to reduce federal Medicaid funding by more than $800 billion over ten years, according to CBO estimates. States like Connecticut will face pressure to make up lost federal dollars or reduce enrollment and services.
The Connecticut data give policymakers a concrete benchmark. Even after a 14% cost jump, Medicaid remained cheaper per person than private insurance. That means cost-cutting by eliminating Medicaid coverage does not automatically shift people to a cheaper alternative. It shifts them to more expensive coverage, or to no coverage at all.
Connecticut’s Medicaid program is called HUSKY. It covers children, parents, pregnant people, adults without dependent children, and people with disabilities, across four eligibility groups. A reduction in federal matching funds would force the state legislature to either increase state spending or reduce who qualifies.
What You Can Do Now
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Call your Connecticut state legislators at the Connecticut General Assembly at (860) 240-0100 and tell them to protect HUSKY enrollment and funding levels in the next state budget. Ask specifically that Connecticut not adopt work requirements or income verification burdens that would cut eligible enrollees.
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Contact U.S. Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal at (202) 224-3121. Tell them the April 2026 Connecticut Office of Health Strategy report confirms Medicaid is the most cost-efficient coverage option in the state, and ask them to oppose any further federal Medicaid cuts in upcoming budget reconciliation votes.
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Submit public comment to the Connecticut Office of Health Strategy at [email protected] when the agency opens its next benchmark review. Cite the 14% per-enrollee cost growth and ask the office to break down which services and populations drove the increase so legislators have accurate data before making cuts.
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Check your HUSKY eligibility or a family member’s at ct.gov/husky. Federal rule changes in 2025 added paperwork burdens. If you or someone you know was dropped from coverage, an appeal may restore benefits.
Sources
CT Mirror: Medicaid Costs Surged in 2024, Still CT’s Cheapest Insurance Connecticut Office of Health Strategy: 2024 Health Care Cost Growth Benchmark Report KFF: Federal Medicaid Financing and State Matching Requirements Explained CBO: Estimated Budgetary Effects of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act