House Democrats apparently have a lot of time on their hands as the debt negotiations drag on and on. And on. So what have they been doing while waiting to see if House Republicans, Senate leaders, and President Barack Obama can work out a deal to trim the federal deficit and raise the nation’s borrowing […]
Money
Stories about Connecticut’s budget, the federal budget, jobs and employment, state investments and casinos.
Posted inHealth, Money
CT AARP joins debt ceiling lobbying fray
A phalanx of AARP staffers and volunteers, including two from Connecticut, fanned out across Capitol Hill yesterday to lobby lawmakers against making changes to Social Security or Medicare in any debt-ceiling deal. The goal was straightforward, if not a political bank shot: “To get Social Security and Medicare off the table in the discussions about […]
Posted inHealth, Money
CT gets almost $2 million for school-based health centers
Connecticut is slated to get nearly $2 million in federal grant money for school-based health centers, according to the federal Department of Health and Human Services. The funding is part of the health reform law, which authorized a total of $200 million over three years for the School-Based Health Center Capital Program. The program awards […]
Posted inHealth, Money
Malloy signs bill inspired by Rockville birthing center closure
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has signed a bill requiring hospitals to get state approval before eliminating inpatient or outpatient services, reversing a change made last year. The bill was inspired by the closure of the birthing center at Rockville General Hospital last year, which occurred without a public approval process. Previously, hospitals seeking to terminate […]
Posted inMoney
Super-PACs and dark money: A guide to the new world of campaign finance
Get ready for yet another “most expensive election in history,” Kim Barker and Marian Wang say at ProPublica–this one fueled with massive amounts of money coming from “more players with more opportunities to hide the source.” Encouraged by recent court decisions, Republicans and Democrats both have been raising vast sums from wealthy donors freed from […]
Posted inHealth, Money
Malloy signs “most favored nation” ban
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has signed a bill prohibiting the use of “most favored nation” clauses in contracts between health insurers and providers, making Connecticut the latest of more than a dozen states to restrict or ban the practice. A most favored nation clause requires a hospital or health care provider to give an insurance […]
Posted inHealth, Money
Medicare board under political microscope in the House
How to curb health care costs in the Medicare program? One solution, included in the federal health reform law, is the Independent Payment Advisory Board, a controversial federal panel established to make some of the tough decisions Congress has shied away from. But even as Medicare is a hot topic in Washington’s budget-and-deficit talks, opposition […]
Posted inHealth, Money
Health insurance exchanges, explained
The health insurance exchange is one of the most important concepts in federal health reform, and Julie Appleby of Kaiser Health News offers a helpful primer on the exchanges, with details on how they are expected to work, who will be allowed to buy coverage through them, and what flexibility states have in designing their […]
Posted inMoney, Politics
Murphy raises $925,000 in 2nd quarter
Rep. Chris Murphy raised more than $900,000 for his U.S. Senate campaign in the 2nd fundraising quarter. A news release from his campaign this morning said he raised $925,000 in the 2nd Quarter, bringing his total so far this year to more $2 million. The campaign ended the 2nd quarter with more than $1.6 million […]
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Despite deficit worries, most unwilling to cut entitlements
Although concern over the federal budget deficit is rising, most Americans say preserving Social Security and Medicare benefits is more important than cutting the deficit, according to a new Pew Research Center Survey. Support for the entitlement programs is down from past years, but still strong at 60 percent versus 32 percent who say budget […]
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Malloy says Rowland apologized for attack in magazine
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and former Gov. John G. Rowland apparently have buried the hatchet, at least publicly. Malloy told reporters after Friday’s State Bond Commission meeting that Rowland, who now works as a talk show host for WTIC 1080 AM in Farmington, called Thursday to apologize for calling him a “pathological liar” in an […]
Posted inMoney, Politics
Donovan raises $230,000 for 5th District contest
House Speaker Chris Donovan has raised more than $230,000 in the 2nd quarter for his bid to represent Connecticut’s 5th congressional district, his campaign said Thursday. Donovan announced his bid in mid-May, getting a later start than other contenders in the crowded contest to replace Rep. Chris Murphy. Murphy is running for the U.S. Senate. […]
Posted inHealth, Money
Medicare officials will fix error that could have cost CT hospitals $30 million
The federal Medicare and Medicaid agency has agreed to correct a $30 million mistake how it calculates payments to Connecticut hospitals. The Connecticut Hospital Association first caught the error, a provision in the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ complex reimbursement rules. The CHA determined that the error would have cost one hospital in Rep. […]
Posted inMoney, Politics
Wilson-Foley challenges Connecticut Democrats over debt
Republican businesswoman Lisa Wilson-Foley made a move Thursday in her campaign for Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District. She said she will ask voters to sign an open letter addressed to Democrats U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy and Independent U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman asking them to adopt a “Balanced Budget Amendment” before voting […]
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Blumenthal lauds reversal on suicide condolence letters
Sen. Richard Blumenthal applauded the White House’s decision to begin sending condolence letters to families of service members who commit suicide. Previously, the Administration’s policy had been to only send letters to families of personnel who were killed in combat or noncombat incidents in war zones. The White House initiated a review of that policy […]