Connecticut news. All eight counties. One quick read.

Insurers across the country are cutting Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, and Connecticut is among the states hit hardest by the pullback. According to an analysis of federal Medicare (CMS) plan data by MyMedicarePlans.org, 17 of the Medicare Advantage plans sold in Connecticut this year will not return in 2027. Another 9 are changing their premium, drug deductible, plan type or name. The number of insurers selling these plans in the state drops from eight to six.

The three companies with no Connecticut plans listed for 2027 are ConnectiCare, owned by Molina Healthcare, which sold plans in all eight counties; CarePartners of Connecticut, a joint venture of Point32Health and Hartford HealthCare; and HealthSpring, the former Cigna Medicare business now owned by HCSC. Becker's reports that Molina is keeping only some special needs plans, so ConnectiCare members should read their mail carefully to see whether their own plan is ending.

Shoppers won't have fewer plans to choose from. Connecticut has 48 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, compared with 47 this year, and Devoted Health is new to the state. But thousands of residents will have to switch, and a new plan can mean a different network of doctors and hospitals, a different list of covered drugs and different copays. Every county is affected. In Hartford, Litchfield, Middlesex and New Haven counties, 16 plans are leaving.

The pullback is national. UnitedHealthcare says about 390,000 members are in plans it is discontinuing, and Humana's cuts affect about 600,000, Bloomberg reported. Becker's counts 18 insurers leaving Medicare Advantage entirely for 2027, 10 of them owned in whole or in part by health systems. Costs are also rising elsewhere: the Connecticut Association of Area Agencies on Aging warns that many people may pay more for Part D drug plans in 2027.

On Saturday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., police departments and community partners across the country will collect unwanted and expired prescription drugs for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's 31st National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. The DEA is working with more than 4,300 law enforcement partners to set up more than 4,400 collection sites nationwide. Drop-off is free, and no one will ask for your name.

The program works. Americans turned in 642,410 pounds of medication at the April 2026 Take Back Day alone, and the DEA has collected more than 21 million pounds since the event began in 2010. Pills left over after a surgery, an illness or a loved one's death can be taken by mistake, stolen or misused. Children and pets can be poisoned by medication within reach. Getting rid of what you don't need is one of the simplest ways to protect your household.

Connecticut has made real progress. The state recorded 836 confirmed overdose deaths in 2025, its fourth straight year of decline and 45.5% fewer than at the 2021 peak, according to Department of Public Health figures reported by WTNH. But the danger hasn't passed. Carfentanil, an opioid far stronger than fentanyl, contributed to 31 deaths in 2025, three times as many as the year before. The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services says Connecticut has lost more than 10,000 people to overdoses in the past decade.

"Drug Take Back Day is a great reminder to take the time to clean out your medicine cabinets and dispose of unwanted medications, the right way," state Consumer Protection Commissioner Bryan Cafferelli said ahead of a Take Back Day last year.

Connecticut has one of the lowest maternal death rates in the country, but it ranks 35th for severe maternal morbidity, the life-threatening complications such as hemorrhage, organ failure or emergency hysterectomy that can happen around childbirth. According to the Connecticut Health Foundation, the burden falls hardest on Black women. In state health department data for 2018–2020, Black mothers had a severe complication rate of 141.9 per 10,000 births, about twice the rate for white mothers (68.4).

The state's Maternal Mortality Review Committee found that Black residents made up 13% of births from 2015 to 2019, but 27% of deaths during pregnancy or the year after. The committee judged 88% of pregnancy-related deaths in Connecticut to be preventable. Babies born to Black mothers are four times as likely as babies born to white mothers to die before their first birthday.

In a blueprint released last fall, the Connecticut Health Foundation set a goal of cutting severe complications among Black women in half from 2026 to 2029. It calls for doulas on more care teams, respectful care that listens to patients, and stronger support after the baby comes home.

Speak up and bring support. Warning signs after birth include a severe headache, trouble breathing, chest pain, heavy bleeding, a fever, or swelling in your face or hands. They can appear up to a year after delivery. Call your doctor or 911, and say that you recently had a baby.

WIC (Women, Infants and Children) gives healthy foods, infant formula, breastfeeding help and nutrition advice. It's open to people who are pregnant, recently had a baby or are breastfeeding, and to infants and children under 5. Dads, grandparents, guardians and foster parents can sign up children too. You don't need to be a U.S. citizen. If you get SNAP, HUSKY or Temporary Family Assistance, you automatically meet the income rules. Otherwise the limit is 185% of the federal poverty level, and an unborn baby counts in your family size.

Ten local WIC agencies run 23 full-time offices and 35 part-time sites that serve all 169 towns. Call the office nearest you, or start online at portal.ct.gov/dph/wic. Bring ID, proof of address and income, and a form from your doctor. If you're not sure which office serves your town, call the state WIC line at 1-800-741-2142.

The federal budget law known as H.R. 1 expanded SNAP work requirements. Many adults ages 18 to 64 without young children now have to work, volunteer or train at least 80 hours a month to keep their food benefits. Groups that used to be exempt, including veterans, people experiencing homelessness, young adults leaving foster care and parents whose youngest child is 14 or older, are now covered by the rule. About 35,000 Connecticut residents have lost SNAP since July 2025, CT Mirror reported. That includes nearly 18,900 children, and only about 5,000 people have re-enrolled.

To fill part of the gap, Gov. Ned Lamont used $8.5 million from the state's Federal Cuts Response Fund to pay for one-time $300 grocery cards. "We are providing this assistance as a bridge to prevent people from going hungry as we help them navigate these changes," Lamont said. The state Department of Social Services gives out the cards through Connecticut's nine community action agencies, which together serve all 169 towns.

Who qualifies: Connecticut residents who lost SNAP after December 2025 because of the new work rules for "able-bodied adults without dependents" and who don't have a disability that keeps them from working. Each person who lost benefits gets $300, not each household. The card can be used only once and doesn't expire. Most cards are virtual and work through the Akimbo app, and a small number of plastic cards are available. People who lost SNAP for other reasons, such as missing paperwork, don't qualify. Refugees and asylum seekers who lost benefits are served instead through $3 million the state sent to refugee agencies.

How to get it: Call the community action agency for your town in the list below. Staff will check your eligibility, set up an appointment and help you see whether you can get SNAP back. According to Access Community Action Agency, everyone who qualifies will get a card, it isn't first come, first served, and cards are available through Nov. 30, 2026. Some sources give a December deadline, so apply now to be safe.

Every town in Connecticut is served by one of nine community action agencies. Find your town, your agency's phone number and address in our full directory below.

More than 560,000 people in Connecticut, about 15.3% of residents, were food insecure in the latest Feeding America estimates, released this year by Connecticut Foodshare. That rate rose 7% in a single year. More than 137,000 of those people are children, roughly one in five kids statewide.

Pantries across the state feel it. Covenant Soup Kitchen in Willimantic has been cooking lunch for about 200 people a day while working to keep its pantry shelves stocked.

The good news: getting help is easier than many people think. Pantries that hand out federal TEFAP food can't make you show ID, proof of address, proof of income or Social Security numbers. You only need to live in Connecticut, have household income under the limit below and say how many people live in your home. If you already get SNAP, WIC, HUSKY/Medicaid, TFA, SSI, energy assistance or Section 8, or you eat at a shelter or soup kitchen, you qualify automatically.

Some pantries also give out donated food with their own rules, such as a photo ID, proof of address, living in their town or one visit a month. Those are listed below. Always call before you go, because hours change.

Immigration paperwork is complicated, and mistakes can be costly. Several Connecticut nonprofits offer legal help for free or at a reduced cost, and some serve clients regardless of income. Below is where to start, with eastern Connecticut options first.

Protect yourself from fraud. Only a licensed attorney or a representative accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice may give immigration legal advice. A "notario," notary or immigration consultant cannot. Government forms from USCIS are free to download at uscis.gov, and no one can guarantee a result.

Timing is everything this week. The state's tourism office put peak foliage in eastern Connecticut's inland hills at Oct. 14 to 20, so the Quiet Corner is past its brightest but still glowing. The shoreline and the lower Connecticut River valley come next, with peak expected from about Oct. 28 into early November. Start north this weekend and work your way south next weekend.

Before you drive, check the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's interactive fall foliage map for current conditions. It's linked from ctvisit.com.

Americans can't get enough of cruising. AAA expects a record 22.4 million Americans to sail in 2027, up 3.6% from this year and the fifth record year in a row. The Caribbean still draws about 71% of U.S. cruise passengers, though shorter sailings of six nights or fewer are gaining ground.

Beyond the Caribbean, cruise lines are betting big on three regions for 2027. In Alaska, Celebrity is stretching its season and expedition lines are adding sailings. In Japan, Princess plans its largest deployment ever, with 78 sailings. And polar voyages keep growing, from Viking's Antarctic Circle trip to Ponant's shorter North Pole sailings.

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