WASHINGTON — Connecticut’s senators blasted the GOP plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, but will sit on the sidelines as their divided Republican colleagues try to hash out final details of a “discussion draft” released Thursday. The bill would continue some Obamacare subsidies to help people buy insurance, but could eventually force Connecticut to cut Medicaid coverage for many.
Abortion
Despite the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, abortion remains legal in Connecticut up until a fetus can live independently outside the womb.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Senate considers stripping states like CT of abortion coverage option
WASHINGTON — As Senate Republicans meet behind closed doors this week to craft their bill to replace the Affordable Care Act, one of the most contentious issues is how it will affect the abortion coverage millions of American women now have as part of their health insurance policies. The American Health Insurance Act approved by the House severely restricts this coverage.
Posted inJustice, Politics
Blumenthal, Murphy not yet among Dems opposing Gorsuch
WASHINGTON — At least 19 senators have said they will not vote for Judge Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, but Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy have not joined that group, at least not yet.
Posted inJustice, Politics
Blumenthal presses Gorsuch on key cases, but judge won’t be pinned down
WASHINGTON — On Day 3 of the Supreme Court confirmation hearing of Neil Gorsuch, Sen. Richard Blumenthal tried to do what other Democrats have tried, and failed, to do – pin down the nominee’s opinion on a hot-button issue. Gorsuch deftly avoided giving his views – and Blumenthal said it leaves doubt in the minds of Americans about the nominee.
Posted inJustice, Politics
Gorsuch tells Blumenthal he’s offended by Trump’s attacks on judges
WASHINGTON — Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch on Tuesday confirmed he found President Donald Trump’s criticism of federal judges who ruled to block his travel ban “disheartening and demoralizing” – statements Trump said had been “misrepresented” by Sen. Richard Blumenthal.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Defunding Planned Parenthood? Not so easy
WASHINGTON — Cutting off funding for Planned Parenthood is a priority for many congressional Republicans, but that effort is likely to stumble because other GOP lawmakers are hesitant to take aim at health clinics that are popular with their constituents. Nevertheless, the GOP is moving forward on a promise it has made to defund Planned Parenthood.
Posted inPolitics
Kaine a hard sell to some CT delegates
PHILADELPHIA – Hillary Clinton’s pick for vice president, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, will be officially introduced to the nation Wednesday evening, but he isn’t the first choice of some Connecticut delegates, a few of whom still have reservations. They would have preferred a more progressive candidate or a minority.
Posted inPolitics
CT delegates to GOP convention to vote on conservative platform
WASHINGTON — When Connecticut delegates to the Republican National Convention arrive in Cleveland next week, one of the first orders of business will be to consider a party platform that has been called the most conservative in the party’s history.
Posted inPolitics
Connecticut’s Washington Week
Pope Francis’ visit to Washington, which included an address to the joint session of Congress, overshadowed everything this week — except perhaps House Speaker John Boehner’s subsequent resignation.
Posted inPolitics
Liking his message, Malloy joins crowds in D.C. to welcome Pope Francis
WASHINGTON – The nation’s capital is living up to its reputation as a city of contradictions as it cheers Pope Francis’s gently accented words of hope and reconciliation amid a backdrop of a looming crisis – the increasingly likely shutdown of the federal government.
Posted inPolitics
Feds tell states to stop processing food stamp benefits
WASHINGTON – The state’s 423,000 food stamp recipients could soon be early victims of Washington’s budget crisis. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has instructed the Connecticut Department of Social Services and similar agencies in all of the states to not dispense any October benefits to food stamp recipients “until further notice.” Some $60 million in food aid could hang in the balance, one Connecticut official said.
Posted inPolitics
DeLauro urges Pope to address social ills in speech to Congress
WASHINGTON — Rep. Rosa DeLauro has led an effort by congressional Democrats to urge Pope Francis to bring his social teachings to Congress when the pontiff makes his historic speech there on Sept. 24.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
NARAL attack on CT pregnancy centers unwarranted and wrong
ABC Women’s Center, a non-profit organization in Middletown offering free support services to women facing unplanned pregnancies, has this response to a report released by NARAL Pro Choice CT entitled, “The Right To Lie.” The report is part of a nationwide strategy by abortion advocacy groups to harm the reputation of those charitable entities providing critical pregnancy support services in communities across the state. As part of Care Net, a national pregnancy center affiliation organization, ABC Women’s Center complies with an industry set of standards called ‘The Commitment of Care and Competence’ which ensures that every client is treated with respect and compassion.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Crisis pregnancy centers should be accountable for lies, misinformation
Connecticut has long been a national leader in reproductive rights, yet as long as so-called crisis pregnancy centers are allowed to operate without oversight or regulation, dispensing lies and misinformation, they threaten all the progress we’ve made. The right to have an abortion means little when these centers are falsely telling women the procedure is dangerous or deadly. Now that we have clear evidence that these centers lie about medical information while posing as real providers, we have an obligation to hold them accountable for their actions. Connecticut women deserve medically accurate, unbiased healthcare, and they deserve better than CPCs.
Posted inHealth
Access Health CT adds some plans excluding abortion coverage
Access Health CT, the state’s health insurance exchange, has added policies that exclude abortion coverage to those available from the state’s insurance marketplace. Their inclusion ended a lawsuit against Access Health brought by a couple who strongly oppose abortion.
