Senator Lesser Named Co-Chair of Connecticut Long Term Care Planning Committee

HARTFORD — Today, Senator Matt Lesser (D-Middletown) was named co-chair of the Connecticut Long Term Care Planning Committee, joining Representative Jane Garibay and Melissa Morton of the Office of Policy and Management in leading the committee’s work. The committee is charged with making long-term forecasts on workforce and funding for Connecticut’s nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and home care sector, and with exploring the creation of a state universal long-term care benefit.

The appointment comes as Connecticut’s long-term care sector faces direct threats from the federal Republican budget signed by President Trump last year. The law enacted the largest cuts to Medicaid in the program’s history, totaling approximately $1 trillion over the next decade. For Connecticut’s long-term care sector, the consequences are significant: skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies face potential funding shortfalls from reduced Medicaid reimbursements, nursing home minimum staffing standards have been suspended through 2034, and new restrictions on Medicaid eligibility will make it harder for seniors to access the care they need as they age.

“I am proud to serve as co-chair of this committee at a moment when the work could not be more urgent,” said Senator Matt Lesser (D-Middletown). “Connecticut’s nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and home care workers are the backbone of support for our seniors and people with disabilities, and Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress just cut the floor out from under them. The federal government has abandoned its commitment to long-term care, and it falls to states to respond. Connecticut has always led when Washington has failed, and this committee is going to build a long-term care system that our residents can count on for decades to come.”

The committee will examine workforce challenges, funding sustainability, and the feasibility of a state-level universal long-term care benefit that could insulate Connecticut residents from future federal rollbacks.