In 2012 the National Academy of Medicine estimated the U.S. health care system squandered $765 billion a year, more than the entire budget of the Defense Department. In this special story, ProPublica documents the astounding waste by hospitals that is helping drive up healthcare costs.
What hospitals waste
Posted inJustice
States that raise the age see cost savings, less recidivism, JPI report says
WASHINGTON — More states are getting rid of laws that automatically bump teenagers from juvenile courts when they reach a certain age, abandoning a model of punishment proven to be expensive, ineffective and not flexible enough to improve outcomes for offenders or society, a new study says.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Fact-checking elected officials on the Affordable Care Act repeal
Dismayed by the results of the 2016 election, Meg Godfrey decided she needed to do more than vote, share social media posts and sign online petitions. So she went to the website of Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and typed a note in support of the Affordable Care Act. “I asked him to use my tax dollars to provide health care to his constituents just like my tax dollars provide health care for him and his family,” she said she wrote. A short while later, Godfrey received an email reply from Blunt, essentially a form letter explaining why he supported the law’s repeal.
Posted inEducation
Salaries, fringe benefits driving tuition hikes at CT public colleges
Top financial officials from Connecticut’s two major public college systems told legislators Friday that rising fringe benefit costs and mandated employee salary increases are key driving forces behind tuition hikes.
Posted inJustice
Daly out as Trump removes U.S. attorneys in Friday surprise
Deirdre Daly, the first woman nominated by a president to serve as U.S. attorney for Connecticut, was among the 46 prosecutors removed Friday as the Trump administration abruptly demanded the resignations of remaining holdover appointees of the Obama administration.
Posted inPolitics
Courtney to Malloy: Use HUD funds to help fix crumbling foundations
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s budget would eliminate a housing grant program that pays for projects in nearly two dozen Connecticut towns – and Rep. Joe Courtney wants the Malloy administration to also use it to help residents with crumbling foundations before the money disappears.
Posted inPolitics
Vacant House seats to be filled April 25.
Special elections for vacancies in the General Assembly are scheduled for April 25 in the 7th House District of Hartford and 68th House District of Watertown and Woodbury.
Posted inMoney
CT adds 5,700 jobs to start 2017, but jobless rate ticks upward
Connecticut’s unemployment rate ticked upward from 4.4 percent to 4.5 percent in January, despite the gain of 5,700 jobs, the state Department of Labor reported Friday.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
The clock is ticking on sensible state budget reform
I read with great interest Keith Phaneuf’s recent series on Connecticut’s serious budget challenges. He is clearly the best journalist on this subject in our state. Last month I watched Gov. Dannel Malloy’s budget speech from the floor of the State House. The governor’s budget has already resulted in significant discussion and debate. Three of his key and controversial proposals deserve comment. Connecticut has waited far too long to address them. It’s not a matter of if related changes will be made, it’s really a matter of when, how and by whom. The clock is ticking and time is not working in our favor.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Even Einstein can’t solve Millstone math
Dominion Energy spokesman Kevin Hennessy uses a famous quote from Albert Einstein to justify why ratepayers should give the Millstone power plant a big corporate payout. Einstein is credited with the observation that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is not a pragmatic approach to problem solving. Yet, Hennessy keeps saying things that aren’t true and apparently keeps hoping we’ll believe him.
Posted inEducation, Health, Money
Once again, school health clinics facing cuts
School-based health centers have widespread support among policymakers. Research has linked them to better academic and health outcomes, and experts consider them a key way to help students access mental health care. So why do they keep facing budget cuts?
Posted inPolitics
Legislator asks for independent analysis of casino expansion
Rep. Daniel S. Rovero, D-Killingly, said he arrived in Hartford for an all-day public hearing Thursday seeking clarity on the risks and benefits of granting the tribal owners of Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun the right to jointly develop a casino off tribal lands without considering other bidders. He left disappointed, unsure if the state was getting a good deal and unhappy the state was providing no independent analysis of casino expansion.
Posted inEducation
UConn researchers say CT’s chief education reform plans lack coherence
Despite spending five years and hundreds of millions of dollars to improve the state’s lowest-performing schools, the state’s efforts have lacked coherence and have left districts scrambling to comply with constantly shifting broad reform expectations.
Posted inEducation, Politics
Senate kills school accountability rule
WASHINGTON – The Senate on Thursday voted to overturn a key regulation that places tougher accountability measures on schools — measures backed by civil rights groups and those who advocate for disabled children. Sen. Chris Murphy said the move to kill the regulation was a GOP rejection “of a bipartisan rule that assured that civil rights are protected.”
Posted inMoney, Politics
Malloy challenges GOP to show its CT budget plan now
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy effectively told Republican legislative leaders Thursday to put up or shut up when it comes to the next state budget.