UnitedHealthcare plans to stop paying commissions for insurance policies offered through exchanges beginning Jan. 1, a move brokers say signals the company’s retreat from Obamacare business.
UnitedHealthcare to stop paying commissions for Obamacare exchange plans
Posted inEducation
Congress’ approval of education bill allows CT to overhaul K-12 system
Washington — The Senate voted overwhelmingly to repeal the controversial No Child Left Behind and sent President Obama a bill that will eliminate most federal mandates and give states like Connecticut broad authority to change their K-12 education systems.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
CSCU president could have addressed protest instead of breezing by
Last Thursday, this year’s President of the Connecticut’s Board of Regents for Higher Education, Mark Ojakian, hurried past a large group of AAUP protesters outside of his scheduled Board of Regents meeting at the old Phoenix Insurance building on Woodland Street in Hartford. It probably never occurred to this right-hand man of the governor that he was presented with a rare opportunity. In Ojakian’s defense, his boss probably would not have seized the opportunity either.
Posted inPolitics
North Stonington selectman helps GOP lawmakers push Indian recognition bill
WASHINGTON– Nicholas Mullane, a longtime Republican selectman for the town of North Stonington, on Wednesday helped bolster a GOP bill would strip the Obama administration of its authority to recognize Indian tribes.
Posted inPolitics
GOP tries to force a labor reform that eluded Malloy
The legislature’s Republican minority tried and failed in special session Tuesday to make the rules change sought four years ago by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy as a way to make legislators take greater responsibility for labor contracts.
Posted inEducation, Politics
Close juvenile jails? Legislators leave it up to the governor
Democratic legislators Tuesday retreated from a plan to move legislatively toward closing the controversial state-run jail for young offenders and decided to leave that decision up to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.
Posted inHealth, Money, Politics
Bill closing deficit, cutting business taxes heads to Malloy
The House of Representatives gave final legislative approval to a bill Tuesday night that closes the current budget deficit, mitigates bigger problems in the future, offers modest tax relief to businesses and restores a portion of funds cut this fall from hospitals and social services.
Posted inPolitics
CT lawmakers at heart of new Dem gun control campaign
WASHINGTON — Democrats in Congress, including those from Connecticut, ratcheted up the pressure on Republicans Wednesday to take up gun safety measures. The Democrats spent the day calling for gun control measures.
Posted inMoney, Politics, Transportation
House takes transportation ‘lockbox’ off fast track
House Republicans blocked the General Assembly on Tuesday from reaching the super majority necessary to seek a referendum vote next year on a state constitutional amendment to create a legal ‘lockbox’ to protect future transportation funding.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Need to save money? Cut Connecticut’s SBAC testing
As the state of Connecticut wrangles with the budget in the coming weeks, one area of the budget the legislature has not yet considered for cuts is the state’s SBAC testing program. The state estimates it will spend $17 million developing and administering standardized tests during the 2015 and 2016 fiscal years. Standardized testing has come under increasing scrutiny across the nation, particularly in its use for high-stakes decisions such as student promotion, in teacher evaluations, and other school personnel decisions.
Posted inHealth
Critics seek hard look at Yale–L+M deal, hospital market power
A group of unions and advocacy organizations are calling for state regulators to take a hard look at the growth in power and market concentration of large health systems in Connecticut – and what that means for patients – when they review Yale New Haven Health System’s proposed acquisition of New London’s Lawrence + Memorial Hospital.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Griebel: Rushing CT’s transportation ‘lockbox’ is a mistake
State officials will move forward Tuesday with new constitutional language to protect transportation spending, despite warnings Monday from one of Connecticut’s staunchest “lockbox” advocates that a hurried approach could lead to trouble.
Posted inPolitics
Himes, Courtney tell GOP to keep Syrian refugee policy out of budget bill
WASHINGTON — U.S. Reps. Joe Courtney and Jim Himes. Democrats who gave the Republican Party a veto-proof majority on a bill that would suspend Syrian and Iraqi refugee admissions, are now demanding the bill’s language be left out of a massive budget bill.
Posted inHealth, Money, Politics
CT deficit plan taps many special funds and one-time sources
While the General Assembly is expected to adopt a plan in special session Tuesday to close most or all of this fiscal year’s budget deficit, restore some funds for hospitals and finance modest business tax breaks, almost 40 percent of the plan diverts resources from specialized funds and various one-time sources.
Posted inPolitics
Malloy steps into spotlight, and line of fire, at DGA
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, an outspoken Democrat on the hot-button issues of immigration, gun control and gay marriage, began a one-year term Monday as the voice of the Democratic Governors Association — and the target of the Republican Governors Association.