Critically Important MLP Legislative Initiatives MLP Works to Expand HUSKY Health Insurance to Undocumented Children As a result of the most ambitious advocacy initiative ever undertaken by the MLP, the Connecticut General Assembly introduced and is debating the passage of Raised Bill 1053, a legislative proposal that seeks to expand Medicaid and HUSKY B (CHIP health insurance coverage) to all of Connecticut's most vulnerable children and youth under age nineteen. The Human Services Committee held a public hearing in which twenty eight individuals and organizations submitted favorable testimony, and voted the bill favorably out of Committee. While the initiative presents significant challenges, MLP Director Jay Sicklick is optimistic that the measure can pass this year. "While the bill does have up-front costs, defined as the expenditures necessary to gradually enroll the undocumented youth population, the downstream savings from which the state will benefit are immeasurable. Preventative and primary care is a right provided to all of the state's children, except those without legal documentation. It's time these children - who have the constitutional right to attend school - receive basic healthcare in a manner equal to their peers." Follow our team's advocacy, including an op-ed by Julia Rosenberg, MD in the Hartford Courant, on the CCA website. Critically Important MLP Legislative Initiatives MLP Works to End HIV in Young Adults: PrEP Initiative Alice Rosenthal, Senior Staff Attorney During the 2019 Connecticut General Assembly session, the MLP is championing a proposed bill that would allow youth to consent to PrEP, an HIV prophylaxis that reduces the risk of contracting HIV by more than 90 percent. The CCA team is led by Dr. Krstyn Wagner, an infectious disease specialist from New Haven's Fair Haven Health Center. Over 20 percent of new HIV infections are in people ages 13 - 22, and disproportionately black men. The Connecticut Department of Public Health campaign "Getting to Zero" aims to eliminate new HIV infections; an important component is preventing transmission youth who are most at risk. Representatives Jeff Currey and Raghib Allie-Brennan introduced Raised Bill 6540, An Act Concerning the Prevention of HIV. An recent article in the CT Post discussed the proposed legislation. Under current Connecticut law, minors can consent to critical healthcare needs, specifically in the areas of reproductive health, mental health care and treatment, substance use care and the diagnosis and treatment of HIV and AIDS. HB 6540 would extend these protections to prevent the spread of HIV. After a lengthy and somewhat contentious public hearing, the Public Health Committee voted unanimously to move HB 6540 favorably out of committee. The next phase is passage in the House and Senate. We hope you will support this critical public health initiative. For more information, contact Alice Rosenthal. For information on minor consent laws, CCA's Adolescent Health Care: Legal Rights of Teens is an MLP publication that might assist you in your practice. |