The entire Connecticut House delegation — except for U.S. Rep. John Larson, D-1st District — praised U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill Friday for putting a temporary stop to UnitedHealthcare’s intent to drop 2,200 doctors from its Medicare Advantage plan. The UnitedHealthcare proposal would affect tens of thousands of older Connecticut residents who would lose their doctors.
Larson doesn’t sign release slamming UnitedHealthcare
Posted inEducation
New higher ed chairman wants to reduce public colleges’ autonomy
If the new chairman of the legislature’s Higher Education Committee gets his way, the independence that the state’s public colleges have enjoyed for years will be reined in more under lawmakers control. “I have a simple philosophy: over the years the legislature has ceded too much autonomy to the universities,” Sen. Steve Cassano, D-Manchester, said in a news release announcing his appointment this week.
Posted inEducation
‘Reduced resources’ for UConn sports
The sports teams at the University of Connecticut are facing fiscal challenges, the president’s athletics advisory committee wrote in its annual report to school President Susan Herbst. “The fiscal impact that the University faces is also mirrored in the [athletics] Division. As with all areas of the university, there are required elements that need to be addressed even in difficult fiscal periods and the challenge is to meet them with reduced resources,” reads the report from the President’s Athletic Advisory Committee.
Posted inNews
Himes holds holiday fundraiser
Merry Christmas! Have some eggnog, and care to contribute to my campaign? For three-term Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th District, the holiday season has provided another opportunity to raise political cash. Himes has sent out invitations to a holiday party at the Fat Cat Pie Co. in Norwalk on Dec. 17. But he’s also asked his […]
Posted inHealth
CT’s Obamacare exchange applications surging this week
Application activity for the state’s health insurance exchange has skyrocketed this week, with close to 1,000 people signing up for coverage each day. That compares to a previous peak of 3,544 enrollees for the entire week before Thanksgiving.
Posted inNews
Americans to remember Newtown at National Cathedral vigil
Editor’s note: The Mirror will be looking this week at how Connecticut has reacted, and changed, in the year since the Sandy Hook shootings. Washington — High on a rise overlooking Washington, D.C., the National Cathedral is the nation’s spiritual heart — the place, chosen by Congress, where Americans of all faiths have expressed some […]
Posted inNews
Trial guaranteed on CT school funding and reforms
A Superior Court judge Thursday rejected the state’s request to throw out a lawsuit charging that Connecticut has failed to provide enough money to its poorest school districts. The decision comes eight years after a group of mayors and teachers’ unions across the state filed the lawsuit alleging chronic underfunding of education and nearly three […]
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Dueling state budget forecasts: There’s no escaping fiscal realities
The General Assembly’s Appropriations and Finance Committees recently met to hear annual budget forecasts from both the governor’s budget office (OPM) and the legislature’s nonpartisan budget office (OFA). Certain disparities between their projections were striking. While both agencies project substantial deficits for the next biennium, their projections differ by a vastly greater margin than ever before.
Posted inNews
Dueling state budget forecasts: There’s no escaping fiscal realities
The General Assembly’s Appropriations and Finance Committees recently met to hear annual budget forecasts from both the governor’s budget office (OPM) and the legislature’s nonpartisan budget office (OFA). Certain disparities between their projections were striking. While both agencies project substantial deficits for the next biennium, their projections differ by a vastly greater margin than ever before.
Posted inEducation
CT school ratings released — How does your school stack up?
Parents can now see if their child’s school is among the best or worst in the state. A new website with school-by-school ratings — based on a 100-point scale — was put up by the State Department of Education Thursday afternoon. As expected, many of the schools in urban districts scored poorly. In fact, 91 […]
Posted inHealth
Why exchanges matter for those with coverage through jobs, too
Connecticut’s health insurance exchange is intended to offer coverage to the uninsured, people who buy their own health plans and small businesses. But CEO Kevin Counihan said broader changes in the health insurance market mean that exchanges will soon become relevant for people who get coverage through their jobs, too.
Posted inNews
GOP, Dems wrangle over propriety of NU contributions
Republican State Chairman Jerry Labriola, who has stopped collecting a salary because of his party’s precarious finances, called Thursday on Democratic State Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo to refund $46,500 in recent donations to the Democratic State Central Committee by Northeast Utilities executives. The executives responded to a solicitation by NU’s chief executive, Thomas J. May, saying […]
Posted inNews
Senate names new co-chairs for Higher Ed, Planning & Development
The ripple effect of Sen. Toni Harp’s election as New Haven mayor continued Thursday with the Senate Democratic leadership naming new Senate co-chairs of two committees: Higher Education & Employment Advancement, and Planning & Development. Sen. Steven Cassano of Manchester will take over at Higher Education, succeeding Sen. Beth Bye of West Hartford. Bye was […]
Posted inNews
Nappier says JPMorgan was too slow to disclose data breach
Treasuer Denise L. Nappier said Thursday that JPMorgan Chase & Co. was too slow to disclose a security breach that potentially compromises the personal data of 465,000 debit cardholders, including about 14,000 in Connecticut. The state uses the debit cards for tax refunds, unemployment benefits and child support payments that flow through the Department of […]
Posted inPolitics
Malloy seeks charity, moment of reflection on Sandy Hook anniversary
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is asking for charitable acts and a simple moment of reflection to mark the anniversary of the Sandy Hook school massacre.