2025 Legislative Session

HES’ 2025 Policy Priorities 

Each year, HES publishes a policy agenda to inform advocates, policymakers, and community partners about the key priorities we will focus on in the year ahead. This year, our agenda highlights four key areas and was informed by feedback from 304 Connecticut residents across 44 towns and cities. This feedback helped deepen our understanding of the needs, challenges, and aspirations of the people we serve.

Through surveys and in-person conversations, we learned that while the struggles faced by Connecticut residents are unique to each individual or household, they are not facing them alone. Analyzing their collective experiences reinforced our understanding that the fight for health equity is not just about one issue—whether it’s access to care, racial justice, or economic opportunity—but about all of them.

We are happy to share our 2025 Policy Agenda:

Health Equity Solutions’ 2025 Policy Agenda*

  • Address Health-Related Social & Economic NeedsPromote policy solutions that ensure the basic needs of all residents are met to attain their optimal health.

  • Advocate for Improvements in Health Care Affordability: Pursue policies that protect, restore, and promote pathways to affordable and accessible coverage options.

  • Promote a Comprehensive & Integrated Health Care System: Advance access to culturally responsive and integrated care.

  • Advance the Implementation of Anti-Racist Policies & Practices: Ensure equity-focused policy victories are implemented with community input.

Here’s how you can stay engaged:

➡️ Join the Conversation! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for real-time updates on our 2025 policy priorities. 

➡️ Share your Story! HES will be hosting testimony workshops to support our bill on hospital financial assistance. If you or a loved one have experienced medical debt from a hospital stay and would like to share your story, we encourage you to participate. Click here to connect with our Community Engagement Manager, Katia Daley (Kdaley@hesct.org).

➡️ Bookmark this Webpage! Here, you can access resources, learn how to draft testimony, and see more about medical debt and hospital financial assistance policy!

➡️ Subscribe! Sign up to receive our action alerts and subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest HES updates.

Make Hospital Financial Assistance: Simple  Accessible  Equitable

Hospital Financial Assistance 101

 

Your Advocacy is making a difference - Thank You

In 2025, Health Equity Solutions submitted testimony on 24 bills relevant to our 2025 Policy Priorities, our partners, and our mission of pursuing anti racist policies and practices.

Thanks to all of you who showed up, spoke up, and fought hard for health equity. The following summary notes the status of each bill HES testified on:

Hospital Financial Assistance 2025 Legislative Session 

Medical debt remains a prevalent barrier and a priority of the communities we survey. In coalition with partners, we championed legislative language to improve hospital financial assistance policies, which was included in section 182 of HB 7287, now Public Act (PA) 25-168 

This new law creates a statewide online hospital financial assistance portal housed by the Office of the Healthcare Advocate. The portal will include: 

  • A screening tool to determine eligibility for hospital financial assistance 
  • Guidance to apply for hospital financial assistance 
  • Information on how to avoid future medical debt 

 

It also directs the Office of the Healthcare Advocate to work with advocates to develop recommendations and identify solutions to prevent medical debt for CT residents. 

To all who joined in this effort: congratulations and thank you!  Your continued engagement and support is invaluable in shaping the decisions and policies that impact our communities and our state. A special note of gratitude to the Health Equity for the People by the People Coalition. We are grateful for your enthusiastic and powerful advocacy and look forward to continuing our work together to advance health equity. 

✅New Laws That Promote Equity✅

  • HB 7214: AN ACT CONCERNING MATERNAL HEALTH, included (1) a task force to study perinatal mental health care, (2) a report card for birth centers and hospitals providing maternity care, and (3) an advisory committee to study doula-friendly practices in hospitals. All sections passed—sections 1 and 3 are now SA25-7, while section 2 was embedded in section 124 of HB 7287, now PA 25-168 
  • SB 10: AN ACT CONCERNING HEALTH INSURANCE AND PATIENT PROTECTION includes many provisions to advance health equity, including: (1) establishing reporting requirements and enforcement of compliance with mental health and substance use disorder benefit laws, (2) creating a mental health parity advancement account; (3) requiring health insurance to prove certain health care services under adverse determination or utilization review are not medically necessary; and more. This bill is awaiting the Governor’s signature and will become PA 25-94. 
  • HB 7192: AN ACT IMPLEMENTING RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE BIPARTISAN DRUG TASK FORCE implements recommendations of the bipartisan drug task force, including policies related to pharmacy benefit managers, rebate transparency, a prescription drug shortage taskforce, a pharmacist compensation workgroup, Canadian drug importation feasibility, patient credit for certain drug expenses, and a state agency drug purchasing consortium. This bill is awaiting the Governor’s signature and will become PA 25-167. 

❌Health Equity Legislation That Did Not Pass❌

  • HB 5002: AN ACT CONCERNING HOUSING AND THE NEEDS OF THE HOMELESS, a robust housing bill that aimed to reduce housing costs passed both chambers of the General Assembly, but was vetoed by the Governor. The legislature may revise the bill and re-submit it within 90 days.  
  • SB 1366: AN ACT CONCERNING PHARMACY BENEFITS MANAGERS & PRESCRIPTION DRUG REBATE REPORTING aimed to (1) prohibit certain provisions in pharmacy services contracts between pharmacy benefits managers and health carriers; (2) establish a duty of care for pharmacy benefits managers; and (3) impose additional reporting requirements on the Insurance Department concerning prescription drug rebates. It had a public hearing but did not pass out of the Insurance Committee. 
  • SB 1469: AN ACT CONCERNING MEDICAL DEBT, would have protected spouses from inheriting medical debt upon their spouse’s death. It had a public hearing and passed favorably out of the Human Services Committee.  
  • HB 7191: AN ACT CONCERNING MEDICAID RATE INCREASES, PLANNING AND SUSTAINABILITY aimed to phase in increased reimbursement for Medicaid providers over three years in accordance with a rate study commissioned by the Department of Social Services. It had a public hearing and passed favorably out of the Human Services Committee, and the House of Representatives. 
  • SB 1299: AN ACT CONCERNING MEDICAID-COVERED DENTAL CARE aimed to expand preventive adult oral health services covered under Medicaid and require that Medicaid payment be made for eligible dental services and procedures at mobile dental clinics and school-based health centers. This bill had a public hearing and passed out of the Human Services Committee. 
  • HB 6889: AN ACT CONCERNING EVICTIONS FOR CAUSE aimed to require cause for the eviction of certain tenants and residents of mobile manufactured home parks. This bill had a public hearing and passed out of the Housing Committee. 
  • SB 11: AN ACT CONCERNING PRESCRIPTION DRUG ACCESS AND AFFORDABILITY aimed to increase access to affordable health care. This bill had a public hearing and passed out of the Human Services Committee but died because it was not called in the Senate. Thankfully, some of the key provisions have been included in the biennium budget implementer. 
  • SB 7: AN ACT CONCERNING PROTECTIONS FOR ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE AND THE EQUITABLE DELIVERY OF HEALTH CARE SERVICES IN THE STATE. The bill’s purpose was to protect continued access to health care and the equitable delivery of health care services in the state. This bill had a public hearing, passed out of the Public Health Committee, and was adopted by the Senate. The House amended it to remove a provision and passed it back to the Senate. Unfortunately, the bill died because it was not called again in the Senate. Thankfully, many of the key provisions were included in the biennium budget implementer. 

Thank you to all of our partners for their support and advocacy during this legislative session. Thank you for showing up, amplifying community voice, and shedding light on real-life experiences. We are grateful for your partnership.

As we continue to navigate this journey together, let us remain committed to our shared vision of a future where everyone can access affordable and dignified healthcare.

Questions? Comments? Something we missed? Let us know!

Thank you - including a photo of the CT State capitol and HES logo