American Rescue Plan Act of 2021: Savings for Connecticut Residents

A new federal law was passed in March 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act, and it changed the way we calculate financial help for customers for this year and 2022. Many more customers will now qualify for financial help to make plans more affordable. Whether you’re a first-time shopper or an existing customer, there could be big changes ahead for your household, and we want to make sure you know how to take advantage of the new financial help available. 

As a result of this new federal law:

• More people than ever before qualify for help paying for health coverage, even those who weren’t eligible in the past.
• Most people currently enrolled in a Marketplace plan may qualify for higher tax credit amounts. 
• Your portion of health insurance premiums after these new savings will go down.
• While this law is in place, eligible individuals and households will pay no more than 8.5% of their household income towards the cost of the benchmark plan or a less expensive plan for whichever plan they select.
• There are no changes to how someone qualifies for HUSKY Health. The American Rescue Plan added COVID-19 vaccine and treatment coverage to more Medicaid programs, including the new COVID-19 Uninsured Coverage group.  

How to find out if you qualify for Marketplace savings for Qualified Health Plans:

• Anyone shopping through Access Health CT will automatically see the new savings. 
• If you get unemployment compensation:

Taxpayers that are eligible for or that collected Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits at any time in 2021, will be automatically considered to have an annual income at 133% of the Federal Poverty Level ($12,880) and will be eligible for a nearly $0 premium benchmark silver plan with comprehensive cost-sharing subsidies this year.  To get started, sign in and report a change to your application or create an account.  Tip: Be sure to select Yes to the question, "Did you receive unemployment income in 2021?" on the Income Confirmation step.

We will post updates to this article as new information is available. Access Health CT customers will hear from us directly about next steps and the impact on their household.