Yale Medicine and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield reached a new contract agreement Wednesday, averting the possibility that the large New Haven-area medical practice would leave the network of the state’s largest insurer later this week.
Anthem and Yale Medicine reach contract deal
Posted inEducation
State education board eyes closing 2 vo-tech schools, other cuts
The State Board of Education Wednesday endorsed a proposal to close two of the state’s vocational technical high schools and end all athletic programs at the remaining ones if the department’s budget is cut by 10 percent in the next fiscal year – an amount the governor’s budget chief has told agencies is likely.
Posted inMoney
Malloy in talks with state unions to restructure payments owed pension fund
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration is in negotiations with state employee unions — but only over how to restructure payments Connecticut owes to its cash-starved employee pension system, not any changes in benefits or employee contributions.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Hillary’s choice for Education Secretary could be ‘anti-public’
A recent survey of educators across the nation reveals that, when elected, Hillary Clinton may follow in the footsteps of President Obama concerning her choice of Secretary of Education in the Department of Education in Washington, D.C. Obama’s choices of Arne Duncan followed by John King were the most anti-public education appointments in the history of the Democratic party. Now it appears, based on the recent survey, that Clinton may continue the anti-public education tradition during her administration with yet another education secretary who will espouse the downward spiral of public education that has occurred for the past eight years.
Posted inHealth, Politics
CT is Exhibit A in antitrust fight against Anthem-Cigna merger
WASHINGTON — In its court battle to block the merger of Anthem and Cigna, the U.S. Justice Department plans to use Connecticut’s market as a prime example of why increased consolidation in the health insurance field would hurt consumers. “It was clear to us… that if Connecticut had not decided to participate in the lawsuit, (the state) would have been a focal point of the case anyhow,” said Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen, who has joined the DOJ lawsuit.
Posted inEducation
State watchdog: Infant’s neglect suggests systemic failure at DCF
Doctors determined that an infant placed by the Department of Children and Families with relatives had been malnourished for months, had weeks-old breaks in bones in both arms, a brain bleed and numerous other injuries. A state watchdog report released Tuesday called the case an “utter collapse of all safeguards,” while DCF says it was an outlier.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
The business lobby, fact and fiction about the Connecticut economy
There’s a stark disconnect between fact and fiction when it comes to our economy in Connecticut, and the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, Connecticut’s largest business lobby, is pushing Republicans to play up the fiction for political gain this November. Should they succeed, Connecticut’s workers — working poor to middle-income families — will be the first to lose.
Posted inPolitics
For the record, DRS says NYT didn’t get Trump returns from us
In case you were wondering, the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services says it’s checked, and there is no evidence that the Donald J. Trump tax returns obtained by the New York Times came from DRS.
Posted inJustice, Politics
Murphy, stumping in Ohio for Clinton, Strickland, presses gun control
WASHINGTON — Sen. Chris Murphy is testing the political effectiveness of his push for stricter gun laws in Ohio, a battleground for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump and a state that could help decide control of the Senate. In an odd pairing, Murphy is trying to help elect Ted Strickland, a Democrat who was once one of the fiercest defenders of Second Amendment rights on Capitol Hill.
Posted inHealth
Study asks: Do doctors’ political views influence care?
A new study by Yale researchers suggests Republican and Democrat doctors have different views on the seriousness of politically charged issues such as marijuana use, abortion or having a gun at home – and might handle them differently with patients.
Posted inNews
RBS pays CT a record $120M to settle mortgage underwriting case
One of the nation’s largest underwriters of mortgage-backed securities, Stamford-based RBS Securities Inc., has agreed to pay Connecticut $120 million — the single-largest settlement in state history — to resolve an investigation into its underwriting. While the deal could offer a boost to current state finances, it was unclear whether that boost would match the settlement amount.
Posted inMoney
Lembo reports a balanced budget – but has big concerns
Updated at 5:20 p.m.
State Comptroller Kevin P. Lembo raised concerns Monday — for the second consecutive month — about the stability of the current state budget, though he stopped short of reporting a deficit.
Posted inMoney, Politics
CCM tries to increase fall campaigns’ focus on urban poverty
Connecticut’s urban centers are shackled by unemployment, homelessness and other poverty indicators that dwarf those of surrounding suburbs, the state’s chief municipal lobbying group wrote Monday in a bulletin to state legislative candidates.
Posted inPolitics
Retiring watchdog Robert Ward lauded for 31 years serving CT
When state Auditor Robert M. Ward wrapped up work Friday, he ended a 31-year career in public service. And to those who know Ward well — on both sides of the political aisle — the betting was that Saturday was the first time Ward wasn’t focused instinctively on the job at hand.
Posted inPolitics
Price quits, asks SOTS to give Independent line to GOP’s Carter
John R. Price says he is relinquishing his claim to the Independent Party’s nomination for U.S. Senate, a move intended to end an intra-party fight and give Republican Dan Carter the party’s cross-endorsement and a second line on the ballot. But with many ballots printed and optical scanners programmed, is it too late?