Mental Health Parity, Summer EBT, and more

July 11, 2025



 

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Dear Neighbor,

I hope this message finds you and your family well! Thank you to everyone who attended the Insurance Cost Forum on Monday, July 7th. It was great to meet you all and have an important discussion on insurance and the resources available to you. If you were unable to attend, feel free to reach out to my office at any time with any questions you may have. 
 

Mental Health Parity - Signed Into Law

Governor Lamont signed legislation this week that puts patients first and holds insurance companies accountable.
 
Here’s what it does:
✔️ Caps excessive premium hikes. Allows the Connecticut Insurance Department to limit rate increases for insurers that have a track record of hiking costs.
 
✔️ Enforces mental health parity—with real consequences. Insurers must treat mental health like physical health, and those who don’t comply can face fines up to $625,000 and must publicly report how they’re doing.
 
✔️ Ends harmful “step therapy” delays. Patients with MS, rheumatoid arthritis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression will no longer be forced to try cheaper meds first while their condition worsens, and trial periods are also cut from 60 to 30 days.
 

Summer EBT is Now Available

Summer EBT Benefits through the CT Department of Education are now available! Eligible children receive a total of $120 per child ($40 per month for three months) loaded onto their existing EBT card or a separate S-EBT card. If you are eligible, your child will receive benefits automatically, and you do not need to apply. Families not automatically enrolled are still able to apply for these benefits if they are under the 185% FBL threshold. To view the qualifications for those automatically enrolled and additional information for families interested in applying, click here.

If you have any questions, you can contact the S-EBT hotline at: 1-844-503-6871 
 

Operation Fuel expands its scope to Generation Power CT
 

Operation Fuel, which has been operating for decades to help Connecticut residents with utility costs, recently rebranded to Generation Power CT to better support its expanded scope. Generation Power CT offers assistance with electricity, water, and other utilities, as well as remediation and weatherization services for properties. Its new title reflects these additional offerings. In 2024, Generation Power CT gave millions of dollars in aid to thousands of families across the state.
 

As always, please feel free to contact me at 800-842-8267 or by email at Andre.Baker@cga.ct.gov. And for news and legislative updates, please visit my official Facebook page.

Sincerely,

Andre Baker

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