WASHINGTON – In its showdown next week with Anthem over a planned merger with Cigna, the Justice Department will make the Bloomfield-based insurer’s unique business model a key part of its argument aimed at swaying an appellate court to reject the $54 billion deal.
In appeal, feds argue merger with Anthem would hurt Cigna’s ‘value-based’ care
Posted inJustice
Young inmates tell Malloy about a new way in an old prison
CHESHIRE — Isschar Howard was 20 the night he shot and killed two young men who challenged his right to sell drugs on a corner in New Haven. He’s a 37-year-old lifer now, recently trained as a mentor to young inmates. The governor of Connecticut dropped by his cell Monday, shook his hand and thanked him for his work.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
A better way to keep young professionals here
We commend policymakers who are seeking to keep young, talented, well-educated professionals in Connecticut by giving them a tax credit if they stay. But there is a less expensive, more effective way to accomplish that goal: lower the cost of housing.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Sen. Blumenthal’s hypocrisy is stunning
Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s call for a special prosecutor to investigate connections between President Donald Trump and the Russian government is a wonderful display of how two-faced and highly partisan our elected senator really is.
Posted inHealth, Politics
CT Dems say CBO report shows GOP health plan should be scrapped
WASHINGTON — As soon as the Congressional Budget Office released its long-awaited report Monday afternoon on the impact of the GOP’s American Health Care Act, Connecticut Democrats joined party colleagues in saying the analysis proved the health plan should be scrapped. The CBO estimated the American Health Care Act would result in 24 million Americans losing their health insurance.
Posted inHealth
Analysis: GOP Obamacare replacement could cost CT $89M to $539M
The administration also estimated that 34,000 people who buy health plans through the state’s health insurance exchange would not renew their coverage for 2018 if the proposal becomes law.
Posted inPolitics
Major storm to close State Capitol, delay casino vote
With Connecticut closing for business Tuesday in the face of a major snowstorm, the leaders of the General Assembly signed an order Monday that will allow a legislative committee to hold a special meeting Wednesday to vote on casino expansion legislation.
Posted inJustice, Politics
Out on Friday, Daly now to remain U.S. attorney until fall
Deirdre Daly, who was among the 46 Obama administration holdovers ousted Friday as U.S. attorneys, was reinstated Monday and will remain in the post until October, a gesture by the Trump administration that will give her 20 years of service.
Posted inCities & Towns, Money
Jepsen sees ‘not insubstantial’ risk in casino expansion
Allowing Connecticut’s two federally recognized tribes to jointly operate a casino off tribal lands would pose legal risks that “are not insubstantial” to the more than $250 million in slots revenue annually shared with the state, Attorney General George Jepsen wrote Monday in a formal legal opinion.
Posted inJustice, Politics
It’s a guessing game on how Trump will pick U.S. attorney for CT
The abrupt departure of Deirdre Daly as the U.S. attorney for Connecticut gave new immediacy over the weekend to the legal and political parlor game of identifying not only who might be in the running as a successor, but who will guide the Trump administration in making the choice.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
This is why I protest. This is why I must.
Last night my brother asked me why I was protesting, what was my goal. I answered, but my answer was incomplete. I said something about impeachment and then something about reversing the tide with the mid-term elections. What I should have said was that I can’t not do this. And here’s why:
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Connecticut getting smart on juvenile justice
You don’t teach trigonometry to third graders or spend time helping high school sophomores learn their colors. Educators have always understood that curriculum needs to be appropriate to the student’s development. If the juvenile justice system aims to teach better ways of interacting with the world, the system needs to be built around developmental stages, as several initiatives in Connecticut propose.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Malloy budgets for big raises yet seeks union concessions
Why does his two-year budget include $800 million for state employee raises — an amount that far exceeds anything Malloy set aside before and doubles the funding his staff estimated was necessary just five months earlier?
Posted inHealth
Anthem uncertain it will continue in CT’s individual market next year
The company’s president wrote that the insurer is likely to notify regulators this summer that Anthem will withdraw from the state’s individual market. She added Anthem might not actually choose to pull out of the market, but is required to give six months’ notice if it withdraws and needs to preserve its options.
Posted inPolitics
Murphy: The GOP health plan is a ‘dumpster fire’
WASHINGTON – It’s surprising Chris Murphy is only in his first term in the Senate because he’s had a an amazing amount of visibility for a freshman on a number of hot-button issues that have ranged from gun control to diplomatic flash points. The Connecticut Mirror spoke to him about the prospects of the Republican “American Health Care Act” and a few other things.