Medicare vs. Medicaid in Connecticut.

A lot of conversations on the shoreline start with: "My mother just turned 65, is she on HUSKY now?" Or: "My dad's on Medicare, but he can't afford it — can he get HUSKY too?" The answers are not the same as the names suggest. Here's the plain-English version.

Medicare — the federal age-65 program

Medicare is run by the federal government. It has four parts:

• Hospital coverage (Part A) — free for most people who paid Medicare taxes for 10+ years.
• Doctor visits (Part B) — outpatient procedures, lab work, preventive care. About $185/month in 2026 (more for high-income retirees).
• Medicare Advantage (Part C) — private bundled plans that combine Hospital, Doctor, and usually Prescription drug coverage, sometimes with extras like dental and vision.
• Prescription drug coverage (Part D) — bought separately or bundled with an Advantage plan.

Medicare is not income-based. A retired CFO in Madison gets the same Hospital and Doctor coverage (Parts A and B) as anyone else. The catch is that Medicare doesn't cover everything — there's a 20% Doctor coverage (Part B) coinsurance with no out-of-pocket maximum on Original Medicare, plus deductibles and premiums.

Medicaid (HUSKY in CT) — the income-based program

Medicaid is jointly funded by the federal government and the states. Connecticut administers it through four programs (HUSKY A, B, C, and D). Medicaid is income-based, asset-based for some categories, and covers populations Medicare doesn't — kids, working parents, pregnant women, low-income adults, and seniors who can't afford Medicare's gaps.

Can you have both? Yes — "dual-eligible"

Roughly 1 in 5 Medicare beneficiaries is also on Medicaid. They're called dual-eligible. For these folks, Medicare pays first (the "primary payer") and Medicaid pays the costs Medicare doesn't cover — the 20% coinsurance, the deductibles, sometimes the Doctor coverage (Part B) premium itself.

If you're 65+ in Connecticut, on Medicare, and your income is roughly under $1,278/month with limited assets, you should be looking at HUSKY C. The Department of Social Services handles those applications — my role is to make sure your Medicare plan is chosen to coordinate with that coverage.

The key differences, side by side

	Medicare	Medicaid (HUSKY)
Who runs it	Federal	State (with federal funding)
Eligibility	Age 65+ or certain disabilities	Income-based; sometimes asset-based
Cost to enrollee	Premiums + deductibles + 20% Doctor coverage (Part B) coinsurance	Usually $0
Long-term care	Limited (up to 100 days post-hospital)	Yes — nursing home, in-home waiver
Dental for adults	Limited (some Advantage plans)	Limited but more than Medicare
Estate recovery	No	Yes, for long-term care after age 55

Where I fit in

My specialty is the Medicare side — and especially the Medicare-Medicaid coordination question that most agents skip past. A few of the situations I help with most often:

• You're 64, planning ahead → start the Medicare conversation now; I'll set you up for the 65th-birthday window.
• You're 65+, comfortable income → Medicare's Hospital and Doctor parts (A and B), plus a Supplement (Medigap) or Advantage plan and a prescription drug plan. I help with all of it.
• You're 65+ and on Medicaid (HUSKY C) too → this is where plan choice matters most. There are Medicare plan types (D-SNPs) designed specifically for dual-eligible enrollees, which, for those who qualify, can include $0 copays and broader benefits.
• You're 65+ on a fixed income, struggling with Medicare costs → I'll walk through the Medicare Savings Programs (QMB, SLMB, ALMB) and which Medicare plan structure makes the most of them — usually a Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP).
• You're caring for an aging parent who may need long-term care → that's HUSKY C with the look-back rule, ideally with an elder-law attorney. I can help with the Medicare side of the picture.