WEEKLY UPDATE: 02/12/26
The eight interdisciplinary subcommittees comprising the Connecticut Office of the State Comptroller’s Healthcare Cabinet have unveiled their policy recommendations for the 2026 Legislative Session. At the summit on Monday, February 9, before a crowd of healthcare professionals, policymakers, legislators, advocates, and General Assembly staff, subcommittee members delivered an overview of the 27 proposals detailed in the cabinet’s third annual report.
This year, Comptroller Sean Scanlon underscored the urgency to fortify Connecticut’s healthcare infrastructure to mitigate the detrimental impacts of major federal changes — including the recent loss of enhanced subsidies for health insurance exchange plans and the upcoming adoption of stricter eligibility requirements for Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries. Notably, Scanlon emphasized that chronic Medicaid underpayment, which predates the current federal administration, continues to jeopardize healthcare access and affordability.
“For many years, we have underinvested in our healthcare system in the state of Connecticut, and now with that crisis getting worse, I think it is incumbent upon everybody… to step up,” Scanlon remarked.
The eight subcommittees focus on: Healthcare Workforce, Children’s Health, LGBTQIA+ Health, Mental Health, Urban Healthcare (Affordability and Accessibility), Urban Healthcare (Equity and Disparities), Rural Healthcare, and Women’s Health. Subcommittee members include representatives from Connecticut hospitals and health systems across disciplines.
The Connecticut Hospital Association’s (CHA) Karen Buckley, vice president of advocacy, serves as the co-chair of the Workforce Subcommittee, alongside Executive Vice President for AFT Connecticut John Brady. Among the subcommittee’s recommendations is a proposal to dedicate an initial $100 million from the state budget to establish a Healthcare Innovation Fund, modeled after the existing Manufacturing Innovation Fund. The program would help stimulate job creation in a variety of clinical specialties throughout the state, serving as a long-term resource for businesses, healthcare providers, and educational institutions to invest in workforce training and pipeline development.
“The strength of Connecticut’s healthcare workforce is inseparable from the vitality of our entire healthcare delivery system. To sustain our workforce into the future, we urge lawmakers to continue advancing policies that uplift today’s caregivers and foster tomorrow’s,” Buckley said. “By amplifying awareness of rewarding careers in high-demand specialties — and bolstering student financial support to pursue those professions — the recommendations in this report enhance equitable education access and employment opportunities for practicing professionals and aspiring providers alike.”
The Comptroller’s Healthcare Cabinet, established in 2023, is tasked with exploring policy solutions and implementation strategies to improve healthcare delivery and address disparities facing key demographic groups across the state. The cabinet’s eight subcommittees — comprising hospital leaders and practitioners, healthcare advocates and organizations, and state policymakers — are united under a shared mission to enhance healthcare affordability, access, and equity. The cabinet’s 2025 report made 38 recommendations. Of those, 15 associated pieces of legislation received a public hearing, seven of which were passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by the governor.
Legislative Panel Discussion: Raise Medicaid Rates, Reduce Regulatory Roadblocks
The summit concluded with a panel discussion convening State Representatives Cristin McCarthy Vahey (D-Fairfield) and Jillian Gilchrest (D-West Hartford), and State Senator Jorge Cabrera (D-Hamden). All three lawmakers agreed that raising Medicaid rates to reimburse providers for the full cost of care, which continues to receive consistent and strong bipartisan support, must be a central legislative priority this session.
The panel also discussed the need to reform the certificate of need (CON) process and ensure that any proposed private equity regulation does not stifle innovation or impede access to care.
Click here to watch a recording of the summit on CT-N.
Click here to read all recommendations in the 2026 Comptroller Healthcare Cabinet Report.
