On Feb. 1, qualifying Connecticut residents will be able to access newly available state funds to help cover the cost of purchasing ACA health plans purchased through Access Health CT.  In December, Gov. Ned Lamont announced $115 million to provide assistance to certain residents in the face of vanishing federal subsidies. Earlier this week, a high-ranking budget official said it could take months to deliver the planned relief and that the state’s health exchange might not reflect the assistance until late March. On Friday, Access Health CT announced that it will launch a special enrollment period beginning Feb. 1 for eligible customers to enroll in coverage with the new state subsidy. Its end date hasn’t yet been announced. The special enrollment period is also separate from the current open enrollment period, which ends Jan. 31.  State subsidy amounts will be applied to the beginning of a customer’s 2026 enrollment period, a spokesperson with Access Health confirmed.  “When Republicans in Washington stripped away critical Affordable Care Act subsidies, millions of Americans, including thousands here in Connecticut, were left vulnerable and at risk of losing coverage. We could not stand by and watch families face skyrocketing costs,” said Lamont in a statement on Friday. The deadline for Congress to extend COVID-era financial assistance for ACA health plans, known as enhanced premium tax credits, lapsed on Dec. 31. In the wake of a failed federal vote in December to extend the subsidies for three years, Lamont announced that Connecticut would step in to fill some of the gaps. The state subsidies will help two groups that are particularly impacted by the expiration of the federal tax credits — those who earn the least and those who lost all federal financial assistance. Anyone who earns between 100% and 200% of the Federal Poverty Level and hasn’t already signed up for CoveredCT is eligible for the special enrollment period and will receive enough state assistance to make up for all of their expiring federal assistance. CoveredCT provides no-cost plans to low-income families that earn slightly too much to qualify for Medicaid. Those earning between 400% and 500% of the FPL can also sign up during the special enrollment period and will qualify for enough state assistance to replace half the amount of their expiring federal subsidies. Customers who have already enrolled in a plan will see a credit applied through their insurer, according to a press release from Access Health CT.  Enrollees won’t see the state subsidy amount reflected in the online system until Access Health’s system updates go live in March, an Access Health CT spokesperson confirmed. But enrollees will soon receive a notice in the mail confirming the amount of their subsidy. Insurance companies will also send updated premium bills that reflect the credit from the state subsidy. The funding for subsidy replacement will come from $500 million in state reserves designated during the November 2025 special session, which was intended to potentially backfill federal cuts to nutrition, health care, heating assistance and other human service programs until the next General Assembly session starts Feb. 4.  ...read more read less