HB 5556, An Act Concerning Complex Care Service Delivery For Young Adults With Co-Occurring Mental Health And Intellectual Disability Or Autism Diagnoses

TESTIMONY OF THE CONNECTICUT HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION
SUBMITTED TO THE HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE

Tuesday, March 17, 2026

The Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) appreciates this opportunity to submit testimony concerning HB 5556, An Act Concerning Complex Care Service Delivery For Young Adults With Co-Occurring Mental Health And Intellectual Disability Or Autism Diagnoses.  CHA supports this bill.

Connecticut hospitals make our state stronger by delivering nationally recognized, world-class care, supporting jobs and economic growth, and serving communities across Connecticut.  Every day, hospitals improve access, affordability, and health equity — providing care to all patients regardless of ability to pay.  At the same time, hospitals invest in their workforce and local communities, even as they navigate significant financial and federal challenges.

HB 5556 requires the commissioners of the Departments of Children and Families, Developmental Services, Education, Social Services, and Mental Health and Addiction Services to improve service coordination and address gaps in care services for young adults with co-occurring mental health needs, including autism, who may qualify for support from more than one state agency.

Hospitals across Connecticut are increasingly caring for adolescents and young adults, many between the ages of 17 and 22, whose clinical needs intersect with multiple state systems, including behavioral health, developmental services, child welfare, and education.  These young people are often connected to multiple agencies yet are not formally in custody of any single entity or may be aging out of a defined program.  As a result, accountability for services, funding, and placement can become fragmented.  These are young adults who sit at the intersection of multiple systems, but too often fall into space between them.

When appropriate community placements or services cannot be identified, these young adults can become effectively “stuck” in hospitals, not because they require hospital-level care, but because the broader system has not aligned around a viable next step for care and placement.  This dynamic places significant strain on hospitals, families, and the young people themselves.  Prolonged hospital stays delay access to specialized services while limiting hospital capacity for acute medical patients.  The significant costs associated with these extended stays, combined with the intensive care management and administrative coordination required to support these patients, represent resources that would be far more effective if invested in strengthening the community-based services and placements these young adults need to live safely and successfully outside the hospital.

For adolescents and young adults with multifaceted needs, the challenges we see today are often less about individual programs and more about how our systems are structured to work together.  Policies that clarify accountability, align funding streams, and strengthen cross-agency collaboration can help ensure that these young people receive services in the most appropriate settings while allowing hospitals to focus on providing acute care.

CHA supports efforts, such as those envisioned in HB 5556, to examine and strengthen coordination across state agencies serving youth and young adults with complex needs.

Thank you for your consideration of our position.  For additional information, contact CHA Government Relations at (203) 294-7301.