Access Health Deadline Extension, and more

December 19, 2025

Dear Neighbor,

Happy Friday!

In this week's eblast, you can read about the Access Health CT enrollment deadline extension, new laws effective Jan. 1, and more. You can click the links below to navigate between sections.

Access Health CT Enrollment Deadline Extended
New Laws Effective January 1, 2026
Emergency Response Fund
Medical Debt Erased for 40,000 More Connecticut Residents

Access Health CT Enrollment Deadline Extended

Due to a system outage that may have prevented many customers from enrolling in health and dental coverage by the December 15, 2025 deadline for coverage effective January 1, 2026, Access Health CT is extending the enrollment deadline. Customers now have until Saturday, December 20, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. to enroll in coverage beginning January 1, 2026,

To receive coverage effective January 1, 2026, enrollment must be completed by contacting the Access Health CT Call Center. Applications completed on the website will result in coverage beginning February 1, 2026.

Call: 1-855-805-4325 or TTY: 1-855-789-2428

Monday–Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Customers should expect longer-than-normal hold times and are encouraged to call before 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 20 to ensure enrollment is completed. Assistance is available in more than 100 languages.

If you work with a Certified Broker, please contact your broker for assistance enrolling by Saturday, December 20.

Open Enrollment ends January 15, 2026. You may continue to enroll online at AccessHealthCT.com, but coverage will begin February 1, 2026.

New Laws Effective January 1, 2026

As we welcome a new year, several laws passed in the last legislative session will take effect on January 1, 2026.

These new measures address key issues impacting our state and its residents, including expanded incentives for farmers, strengthened protections for workers in sensitive professions, and improved reporting requirements to better track higher education enrollment, post-secondary credits, and student opportunities.

We took a major step forward in advancing policies that support new, diverse housing options across Connecticut. With some of the highest housing costs in the region, too many individuals and families are being priced out of the communities where they work, where they grew up, and where they hope to retire.

Preventative health care continues to be a priority because early detection saves both lives and long-term costs. To support this, we now require health insurers to cover certain high-priority biomarker tests that aid in early detection, prevention, and treatment. Additionally, we have prohibited the substitution of lower-priced drugs for higher-priced medications for individuals living with multiple sclerosis and arthritis, and we have made this ban permanent for medications used to treat mental health disorders.

You can click here to see the full list of new laws taking effect on January 1, 2026. Feel free to reach out to my office if you have any questions.

Emergency Response Fund

We passed a $500 million emergency response fund during November's special session to support residents facing harmful federal cutbacks from the Trump administration. Now, Governor Ned Lamont is putting a plan in motion to put that fund to use. His proposal calls for committing:

Tens of millions to offset cuts to Affordable Care Act subsidies
$24.5 million to support community food banks and pantries
Nearly $7 million to combat homelessness
$4.7 million for 2-1-1 to increase call volume and Community Action Agencies to support outreach and assistance for SNAP recipients

CLICK HERE to see the entire proposal, which still needs approval from legislative leaders.

Medical Debt Erased for 40,000 More Connecticut Residents

Gov. Ned Lamont announced this week that an additional 40,000 Connecticut residents will have their medical debts erased, part of an initiative launched in partnership with the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt to give relief to those struggling to pay medical bills.

This is the third round of the initiative, which has now eliminated $198 million for 160,000 Connecticut residents since Dec. 2024. The program's arrangement allows the debt to be forgiven at a fraction of its face value - typically costing a few pennies on the dollar.

Those affected by this program should receive a letter in the mail this week informing them of their debt forgiveness. There is no application process for this relief, and it cannot be requested.

Relieving tens of thousands of Connecticut residents from the stress of paying down burdensome medical debt will make a profound difference in their lives - especially in the holiday season.

You can read more about the program here and here.