Sen. Lesser Leads Passage of Bill to Protect Medicaid Recipients from Discrimination

On Tuesday, State Senator Matt Lesser, Senate Chair of the Human Services Committee, led passage of legislation that will protect Medicaid recipients from discrimination from a medical provider. The legislation seeks to protect individuals whose rights are protected under the state’s human rights statutes which includes race, national origin, creed, sex, gender identity or expression, color, veteran status, and domestic violence victim status, among others.

The Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) will investigate claims of discrimination, and if a provider is determined to have discriminated in violation of these laws, the Department of Social Services (DSS) Commissioner may withhold Medicaid reimbursements to said provider.

“Right now the US Department of Health and Human Services is in a state of chaos, thanks to Elon Musk’s DOGE and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. who have fired tens of thousands of federal employees with mass-firings and ‘reductions in force,'” said Sen. Lesser. Victims of discrimination who would ordinarily be able to bring claims to HHS may not have that opportunity if nobody is available to pick up the call. Codifying those protections in state law means that in Connecticut, victims will be able to bring their claims to CHRO and ensure that their claims are adjudicated fairly.”

An April email to staff announced that HHS is closing its office of civil rights (source: Politico)