Sign Up
HB 5040 Connecticut House · 2026 Regular Session

AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE GOVERNOR'S BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES.

HB 5040 updates cash assistance rates for the state's general assistance program, setting monthly payments at $269 for unemployable individuals, $200 for transitional people paying shelter costs, and $50 for others not paying shelter. It creates a new "working persons with disabilities" Medicaid program allowing disabled workers earning under $85,000 annually to qualify for medical assistance, with asset limits of $20,000 for singles and $30,000 for couples, plus specific income disregards. The bill also modifies drug formulary rules to require prior authorization for nonpreferred drugs (except mental health drugs filled recently) and excludes antiretroviral drugs from preferred lists. These changes directly affect low-income residents, disabled workers seeking Medicaid, and Medicaid patients using prescription drugs.
Issues: ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesCreates new Medicaid funding and adjusts assistance rates within state budget, directing resources to health/social services per Governor's recommendations.92% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareCreates new Medicaid program for disabled workers under $85k income, expanding healthcare access and coverage through asset limits and income disregards.95% confidence
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Feb 5, 2026 Last action Apr 7, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Governor's Bill → HS Joint Favorable Substitute · 7 edits
MODERATE
The bill was renamed from a Governor's Bill to a Substitute Bill, indicating it has been amended and approved by the legislature. The most significant change is the replacement of an existing program for disabled workers with a new section focused on reviewing high-cost outpatient prescription drugs to control Medicaid spending. Additionally, the effective date for the drug review provisions was set to July 1, 2026, and the original text regarding the phase-out of income limits for the disabled worker program was removed.
Scope change
The bill's scope shifted from establishing a specific medical assistance program for disabled and employed individuals to implementing a comparative effectiveness review process for high-cost outpatient prescription drugs under Medicaid.
ELIGIBILITY

Deleted the entire section establishing a program for disabled persons who are regularly employed, including specific income, asset, and contribution requirements.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new requirement for the Commissioner of Social Services to review outpatient prescription drugs projected to cost over $25,000 per consumer or $10 million annually to determine their clinical effectiveness and value.

Authorized the Commissioner to contract with third parties to conduct comparative effectiveness reviews of high-cost drugs.

Mandated that reviews include analysis of clinical efficacy, pricing compared to other states, therapeutic benefits, utilization rates, and pharmaceutical equivalents.

Allowed the state to share review results with multistate purchasing collaboratives to negotiate additional rebates from drug manufacturers.

TIMELINE

Set the effective date for the new drug review provisions to July 1, 2026, replacing previous text that outlined a phased elimination of income limits.

TECHNICAL

Changed the bill title from 'Governor's Bill' to 'Substitute Bill' to reflect legislative amendments and approval.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
9
Key actions
1
Committee
2
Mar 19, 2026
Lower · Passed
Joint Favorable Substitute
lower
Feb 5, 2026
Committee
REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Human Services
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.