Reported cases of tuberculosis jumped 17 percent in Connecticut from 2014 to 2015, mirroring a national and global trend and prompting federal officials to ask primary care providers to be on the alert for at-risk patients.
TB cases rise In Connecticut, nationally first increase in 23 years
Posted inHealth, Politics
Insurers uncertain as Congress looks to repeal Affordable Care Act
WASHINGTON– Caught off guard by the political changes that make possible the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, the nation’s insurers are hoping Congress will replace the health care law with something that allows them to stay in business – and even thrive. “The discussion right now about repeal and replacement is making the (insurance) market very, very nervous,” Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler, a Democrat, said.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Innovation necessary to solve persistent certification problems
A recent story described concerns raised over the State Board of Education’s rapid approval of a new teacher training program. According to that story, members of the Minority Teacher Recruitment Task Force are frustrated with the level of information that they had received about the program prior to its approval. These concerns, I am sure, can be worked out among our branches of government. What is more important is ensuring that Connecticut continues with its efforts to solve the longstanding problem of minority teacher recruitment.
Posted inPolitics
Boughton is latest to open exploratory for 2018
One thing Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton’s learned in two prior runs for governor: You can’t begin too soon to start raising the $250,000 in individual contributions of no more than $100 to qualify for public financing of about $6.5 million. Boughton, who failed in 2010 and 2014 to hit $250,000, created an exploratory committee Tuesday and launched a fundraising web site: the Connecticut Comeback Committee.
Posted inPolitics
An invitation to Trump to meet Syrian refugees in New Haven
WOODBRIDGE — Sharing a stage with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, the head of a program that has resettled about 350 Syrian refugees across Connecticut over the past year extended a public invitation Tuesday to President-elect Donald J. Trump to meet with his clients before acting on a campaign pledge to suspend the resettlement of Syrians in the U.S.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Fasano: Bipartisan talks on top issues should begin next week
Noting that Malloy indicated shortly after Election Day that he would reach out to both parties, Fasano said state government could miss a chance to improve confidence among businesses and the general public if it waits to begin discussions until the 2017 General Assembly session — which starts Jan. 4.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Escape the media ‘echo chamber’
Were you surprised at how the presidential election turned out? Your answer probably depends on which candidate you supported. Many Democrats were shocked at Hillary Clinton’s loss. But a lot of Republicans claim they saw Donald Trump’s win coming for a long time. How can both reactions be right? The answer is that many people are trapped inside “media echo chambers.”
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Improve Connecticut’s public transportation system, not its highways
U.S. Rep. John Larson recently proposed the construction of underground highway tunnels into Hartford. Since there already are many road expansion proposals, we need to stop prioritizing road expansion and start prioritizing mass transit that reflects the needs of Connecticut residents in a 21st Century transportation system.
Posted inHealth
Trial begins in U.S. antitrust battle against Anthem, Cigna
WASHINGTON — Anthem, Cigna and the U.S. Justice Department on Monday tried to sway a federal judge with widely differing views on the impact a proposed merger of the insurers would have on the U.S. health care market.
Posted inEducation
State: Dismiss suit to make education a U.S. constitutional right
“There is no fundamental right to education, whether minimal or otherwise, under the United States Constitution,” the state argues in a motion to dismiss.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Sustainability is key to Connecticut’s future
The Connecticut Sustainable Business Council (SBC) was formed by a handful of area organizations with an ambitious, overarching goal — to provide cross-sector support to local businesses in order to ensure a more sustainable future. That might sound technical, but the group’s mission is actually quite simple. More than anything, SBC’s hope is to better connect businesses in order to create an economy that’s built for the future and beneficial to everyone.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Connecticut must reevaluate its business loan practices
With the state’s reputation as a place unfriendly to business, as has been well documented by several major business outlets, it’s time for the state to reintroduce and fund programs to designed to help ALL businesses vs. just the largest.
Posted inJustice
A peek behind bars, and an invitation to reimagine prison
The correction commissioner picked up his plastic spork and dug into his first prison meal since his days as a warden. Up and down the row of fixed tables and stools, an economist, a banker, a teacher, a fire chief, a former city councilman, a church worker and others did the same, their introduction to how 1,400 men do time at Osborn Correctional Institution, a prison that opened 53 years ago.
Posted inPolitics
Q&A: Wyman talks budget, her role in the legislative discussion
Democratic Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman may not have been elected in one of 36 districts of the Connecticut Senate, but she will effectively be the 37th state senator in the next legislative session. The Mirror sat down with Wyman to talk about her role.
Posted inEducation
State says bailout unlikely for Care4Kids child care subsidies
“I don’t have any money to bail them out,” said Benjamin Barnes, the secretary of the governor’s Office of Policy and Management.