Targeting minors for prostitution is about to become a little more difficult for pimps and “johns.” A bill that would make it easier for law enforcement to prosecute those who sexually exploit children — and increase the penalty for those who knowingly solicit them — is headed for the governor’s desk after receiving a unanimous […]

During a town hall-style meeting in Hartford Friday, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said schools need to find ways to become safer without being turned into prisons. He and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy also announced school security grants. Duncan announced a $1.3 million grant to help the Newtown community heal from its trauma. Malloy said […]

Reacting to a week of shockingly bad news about sexual assault in the military, Sen. Richard Blumenthal announced Friday that he is pushing to reform the military judicial process and provide more support for victims. “This crime is underreported and under-prosecuted in the military and I am going to be proposing reforms along with colleagues […]

Imagine a world where you could text a medical update to your doctor instead of coming in for a follow up. Or where your doctor could teleconference with several medical specialists at once to discuss your treatment, saving you a trip. This patient-centered, technological approach was the focus of a symposium on expanding access to […]

 Speaking at a special seminar Friday, a panel of experts urged employers to start preparing now for implementation of the Affordable Care Act next year. Addressing some 400 business leaders at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington, the panelists explained who gets covered under Obamacare, what the penalties are and how to prepare employees for […]

Joseph Duffy worries about what will happen when he dies and is no longer around to fight budget cuts that threaten services for his 29-year-old developmentally disabled daughter, Katie. Despite her disabilities, Katie has a state-supported job at Cigna and has a weekly social outing. But nearly $40 million in proposed state budget cuts would […]

Buoyed by a visit from the head of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, state Veteran Affairs Commissioner Linda Schwartz said Friday she is optimistic for the first time in a long time about making it easier and quicker for Connecticut veterans to get their disability compensation benefits. She was reacting to Veterans Affairs Secretary […]

Connecticut hospitals traditionally considered competitors have been quietly teaming up to share techniques to reduce surgical infections and complications. The idea is to improve patient care and efficiency in a landscape of skyrocketing health care costs and pressure from the federal Affordable Care Act to improve performance. On Friday, surgeons, hospitals, health plan providers, physicians […]

Anthem Health Plans has agreed to reprocess 28,000 claims amounting to $400,000 in additional payments to mental health providers following an investigation by the state Department of Insurance, the department announced Wednesday. However, it is unlikely that the agreement will prompt physicians’ groups to withdraw a discrimination lawsuit against Anthem on the same issue any […]

As the country gears up to launch the Affordable Care Act, one of the most difficult tasks will be to sell it to uninsured people who may have never heard of the word “co-pay” or know what a primary care physician is. That was the message of Alta Lash, a Connecticut community organizer who was […]

It’s often just a little gesture — like an aide delivering a meal tray an hour late, or forgetting to recharge an electric wheelchair. But for someone living in a nursing home who may have complained about the aide in the past, these actions can feel like retaliation. Retaliation can take the form of a […]