The proposal grew out of work by the Senate’s top Democrat and Republican to address the changing health care landscape, including the trend toward doctors giving up owning their own practices to work for hospital systems or large group practices.
Arielle Levin Becker
Arielle Levin Becker covered health care for The Connecticut Mirror. She previously worked for The Hartford Courant, most recently as its health reporter, and has also covered small towns, courts and education in Connecticut and New Jersey. She was a finalist in 2009 for the prestigious Livingston Award for Young Journalists, a recipient of a Knight Science Journalism Fellowship and the third-place winner in 2013 for an in-depth piece on caregivers from the National Association of Health Journalists. She is a 2004 graduate of Yale University.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Opioid bill wins unanimous approval in Senate
The bill would limit initial opioid prescriptions for acute medical conditions to a seven-day supply, and aims to ensure that more first responders carry drugs that can reverse the effects of an overdose.
Posted inEducation, Health, Money, Politics, Transportation
Budget tracker: What’s on the table so far
As the legislative session’s final hours tick down, here’s an updated look at how each side would balance the nearly $1 billion budget shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year.
Posted inEducation, Health, Money, Politics
Down to the wire on chances for a regular-session CT budget
Updated at 10:30 p.m.
Chances of a state budget deal before the legislative session ends Wednesday could hinge on whether negotiations – sparked by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s new budget proposal – bear fruit overnight Monday into Tuesday.
Posted inMoney
Budget tracker: See where each side stands
The budget shortfall for the coming fiscal year is approaching $1 billion, but Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and legislative leaders remain at odds on how to fix it. Here’s an updated look at how each side would address the problem.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Senate passes retirement security bill, but it might not be the final word
The Senate narrowly gave final passage Saturday to a controversial proposal that would require certain private-sector employers to automatically enroll workers in retirement savings plans overseen by a new quasi-public authority. But while the bill has passed both the House and Senate, it could still undergo changes.
Posted inHealth, Politics
The Basics: Medical marijuana for minors wins final passage
The Senate has given final passage to a measure that would allow children with certain medical conditions to use marijuana for palliative purposes. Here’s what you need to know.
Posted inEducation, Health, Money, Politics
Legislators send Malloy an invitation and a proposed fiscal plan
A week after suspending budget talks with the administration, the Democratic leaders of the General Assembly offered an olive branch and a proposal for a new fiscal plan Thursday to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.
Posted inHealth
Yeah, CT health care costs are high, but which ones are highest?
The amount paid for a cesarean childbirth and newborn care in the hospital, for example, averaged $20,107 in Connecticut – 26 percent above the national average of $15,917, according to data based on claims paid by three private insurance companies. But costs also ranged within the state, averaging $20,773 in the Bridgeport area, $19,715 in the Hartford region, and $18,915 in and around New Haven.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Senate passes bill limiting doctor non-compete agreements
The Senate passed a proposal Wednesday to limit non-compete clauses in physician contracts and broaden the types of organizations that can employ doctors, a measure intended to address concerns among Senate leaders about doctors’ ability to remain in independent practice or return to it after joining a hospital system.
Posted inEducation
UConn’s research growth subverted by huge pension costs
Years of state failure to save adequately for future retirement benefits has been compounded by recent decisions allowing an increased number of college employees to enroll in the state’s expensive pension plans. The combination has made it harder to afford enough research faculty and keep the cost of research at UConn competitive. This is the second story in a three-part series.
Posted inHealth, Politics
House passes ‘comprehensive’ opioid bill
After a floor debate laced with stories of the toll drug addiction has taken across Connecticut, the House on Monday passed what legislators described as a comprehensive measure aimed at curbing the epidemic of opioid and heroin abuse.
Posted inEducation, Health, Money, Politics, Transportation
GOP budget plan: Slash agency budgets, cut bonding drastically
Leaders insist their blueprint would close massive future deficits without tax hikes. To do that, though, the GOP minorities in the House and Senate would dilute the two big initiatives Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the Democratic majority launched last June: a 30-year investment in transportation and a plan to share sales tax receipts with cities and towns.
Posted inHealth
Middlesex Hospital gets approval for shoreline cancer treatment
Middlesex Hospital has reached a settlement with state regulators that will allow it to put a new piece of cancer treatment equipment in its shoreline clinic in Westbrook – a proposal that drew opposition from Yale-New Haven Hospital and sparked questions about the intersection of state regulation and health care competition.
Posted inHealth
In fourth year, Obamacare exchange eyes broader role
This fall, Access Health CT will begin its fourth year of selling private insurance plans to Connecticut residents, as well as enrolling people in Medicaid. But its leaders are eyeing a broader role, focused on not just getting people covered, but improving health.