During the 2011 state legislative session,
HB 6308, an Act Concerning Healthcare Reform, passed!

Key Features in the
Healthcare Reform Bill

Here are some key highlights of HB 6308. The bill:
• Establishes a new SustiNet Health Care Cabinet in the Lt. Governor’s office to serve as a coordinating point for integrating state and federal health, as well as to promote initiatives to improve health and spend the state’s health care dollars more wisely.

• Establishes the Office of Health Reform and Innovation in the Lt. Governor’s office. The office will provide support to the Cabinet and function as the state’s central coordinator of health policy.

• Directs the SustiNet Healthcare Cabinet to produce a business plan for a nonprofit, public health insurance option. The business plan must be completed by October 2012.

• Directs the SustiNet Healthcare Cabinet to assess the feasibility of the state offering the Basic Health Program beginning in 2014.

• Opens the state employee pool to municipalities beginning in 2012 and qualified non-profits in 2013.

BCAC and the Children’s Health and Family Economic Empowerment Task Force continue to mobilize support for healthcare4every1.

To learn more, please click on healthcare4every1.org. To schedule a presentation on health care reform and healthcare4every1, contact Barbara Edinberg at 203 549 0075 x12 or email her at bedinberg@bcacct.org

Children's Health

Children’s Health Task Force brings together the Bridgeport community to identify critical issues in children’s health and work together to address them.

Co-Chairs are Fran Newby of Southwest Community Health Center and Cynthia Moore a parent leader

2010 - 2011 Action Agenda:

When parents are active and involved in their child’s health care, child health can improve.  

-  BCAC will educate parents and the provider community on the medical home model of health care (every child has a doctor responsible for coordinating his or her health care) and advocate for policy and practice changes to promote this model of care. 

-  We will also continue to build support for affordable health care for everyone through a community awareness campaign on federal health reform and SustiNet, Connecticut’s affordable health care plan. 

-  We will step up our efforts to ensure that all eligible children and parents have access to health care coverage by identifying and addressing barriers to HUSKY enrollment and providing outreach and HUSKY application assistance to parents. 

-  In response to childhood obesity, the Task Force will also update its brochure, “What’s Moving in Bridgeport.”

Impact: A regular source of comprehensive, culturally-sensitive and appropriate health care can improve child health.  As a result of our HUSKY assistance, more children and parents will have health care coverage and will not delay health or dental care.