The Connecticut Healthcare Affordability Index (CHAI) measures the impact of healthcare costs, including premiums and out-of-pocket expenses, on a household’s ability to afford all basic needs, like housing, transportation, child care, and groceries.
The Standard has been used in California, Connecticut, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Hawaii, Nebraska, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington State to advocate for higher wages through living wage ordinances and in negotiating labor union agreements.
In Connecticut, the Self-Sufficiency Standard has been adopted at the state level since 1998. It has been used in planning state-supported job training, placement and employment retention programs, and has been distributed to all state agencies that counsel individuals seeking education, training, or employment.
This report card on the status of Connecticut women included the number of households living below the Self-Sufficiency Standard and made recommendations to advance women’s equality.