{"data":{"id":"us-ct/conn.-gen.-stat.-10-531a","jurisdiction":"us-ct","citation":"Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-531a","heading":"Early childhood program employee health coverage study. Health insurance subsidy program. Outreach activities.","body":"(a) As used in this section:\n(1) “Health benefit plan” and “qualified health plan” have the same meanings as provided in section 38a-1080;\n(2) “Health insurance subsidy” means an amount that is a portion of the remaining balance of the cost of a qualified health plan after the application of all available income tax credits, employer contributions and other subsidies; and\n(3) “Early care and education program” means a program providing child care services, as described in section 19a-77, that is licensed by the Office of Early Childhood.\n(b) Not later than January 1, 2026, the Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange, established pursuant to section 38a-1081, shall study the level of need for coverage under a health benefit plan that exists for employees of early care and education programs for the purpose of modeling and estimating the cost of operating a health insurance subsidy program for such employees pursuant to subsection (c) of this section. Such study shall include, but need not be limited to, gathering data from the Office of Early Childhood and other resources to assess (1) the size and demographics of the population of such employees, (2) the number of such employees without coverage under a health benefit plan, and (3) any other information required to effectively model and estimate the cost of such program.\n(c) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, the Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange and the Office of Early Childhood shall jointly establish, based on the model developed pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, a health insurance subsidy program for employees of early care and education programs through which such employees may apply to the exchange to receive a health insurance subsidy that is applied to the cost of a qualified health plan purchased through the exchange, whether such plan is an individual health plan, an employer reimbursement arrangement authorized pursuant to federal law or a group health plan offered by an employer. The exchange and the office shall jointly develop eligibility criteria for the health insurance subsidy program that includes, but is not limited to, such employee (1) being ineligible for Medicaid, and (2) applying for and accepting all available income tax credits, employer contributions and other subsidies applicable to the cost of a health benefit plan. The exchange shall post such eligibility requirements and the application forms for the health insurance subsidy program in a conspicuous location on its Internet web site.\n(d) Not later than May 1, 2026, the Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange shall submit to the Early Childhood Education Endowment Advisory Board, established pursuant to section 10-512g, a recommendation for the amount of the health insurance subsidy available to participants under the health insurance subsidy program for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, based on the amount allocated for such purpose in the Early Childhood Education Endowment, established pursuant to section 10-512, and the estimated number of participants in the health insurance subsidy program for such fiscal year. On or before June 30, 2026, the Early Childhood Education Endowment Advisory Board shall approve or modify such recommendation. The amount of such health insurance subsidy shall be applied directly to the cost of a qualified benefit plan and may not be distributed to any participant.\n(e) The Office of Early Childhood shall contract with community organizations to coordinate outreach activities for employees of early care and education programs to assist such employees to obtain coverage under a health benefit plan, whether such coverage is through Medicaid or participation in the health insurance subsidy program.","path":["TITLE 10. EDUCATION AND CULTURE","CHAPTER 184c. OFFICE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD"],"source_url":"https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/sup/chap_184c.htm#sec_10-531a","current_through":"Revised to January 1, 2026 (2026 Supplement to the General Statutes of Connecticut, applied over the base revision of January 1, 2025)","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-06T19:07:21Z","sha256":"d98d9e3f7da68b3753d122dd7bfb64b0aed4d2205e73206173141ff52ad37031","source_id":"us-ct","stale":false,"prev":"us-ct/conn.-gen.-stat.-10-512l","next":"us-ct/conn.-gen.-stat.-10a-1"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}