The sixth open enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act begins Thursday, as the future of the health care law, and its protections for pre-existing conditions, has emerged as a top concern for voters across the nation in the midterm elections.
Affordable Care Act
Posted inHealth
CT sees sharp decline in uninsured low-income adults in rural areas
Connecticut saw one of the biggest drops in the uninsured rate among low-income adults living in rural areas and small towns compared to other states, according to a national study released this week. The uninsured rate in the state’s sole non-metro county, Litchfield, fell from 32 percent in 2008-09 to 9 percent in 2015-16.
Posted inHealth
Dems try to link Stefanowski to Trump’s health care policy
NEW HAVEN – U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy tag-teamed with Democratic gubernatorial nominee Ned Lamont on Friday to paint the candidate’s Republican rival, Bob Stefanowski, as a Trump acolyte when it comes to health care policy.
Posted inJustice
Blumenthal releases ‘confidential’ emails, grills Kavanaugh on ACA, Mueller probe
WASHINGTON – Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Thursday joined frustrated Democratic colleagues in releasing documents once designated as “committee confidential” as a way of exposing what they say are Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s true positions on abortion, affirmative action and other issues. Blumenthal also tried again to pin down Kavanaugh with questions about the Affordable Care Act, Robert Mueller’s investigation and President Donald Trump’s insults of sitting judges.
Posted inJustice
Blumenthal spars with Kavanaugh over abortion rights, presidential powers
WASHINGTON – Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who has already decided to vote against the Supreme Court nominee, had his first chance Wednesday to cross swords with Judge Brett Kavanaugh on a series of issues that included abortion rights and presidential powers.
Posted inHealth
Dems warn insurers may deny coverage to sick people as Texas court takes up ACA case
WASHINGTON – Democratic lawmakers warned Wednesday of a “double whammy” that would obliterate the Affordable Care Act — a case being argued before a Texas judge that could result in a repeal of the health care law, and the likely confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
Posted inHealth
Study: 24 percent of Hartford area residents have pre-existing health problem
WASHINGTON – Nearly one-in-four residents of the Hartford metropolitan area have a pre-existing medical condition that might make it difficult for them to obtain insurance coverage for that illness if a key provision in the Affordable Care Act is overturned, a new study says.
Posted inPolitics
Why Connecticut Dems love John McCain
WASHINGTON – Sen. Richard Blumenthal plans to attend Sen. John McCain’s funeral services here later this week and Sen. Chris Murphy will likely attend the invitation only ceremony, too. The adulation of McCain by Democrats is based on his heroic military service and his willingness to cross party lines. But McCain’s feud with President Donald Trump made him more likeable among Democrats, too.
Posted inHealth
Wade: State law bars sale of Trump’s ‘junk’ short-term health plans
The Connecticut Insurance Department has determined state law prohibits the sale of skimpy “short term” plans that are being promoted by President Donald Trump as a cheaper alternative to Affordable Care Act coverage. “Connecticut already has the necessary statutory consumer protections in place to prohibit ‘junk plans,’” said Insurance Commissioner Katharine Wade.
Posted inHealth
Blumenthal urges Wade to ban or restrict short-term health plans
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., has called on Connecticut’s insurance commissioner to ban or restrict, as other states have, short-term health insurance plans recently promoted by the Trump administration.
Posted inHealth
Blumenthal presses state for protections in ‘short-term’ health plans
WASHINGTON – Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Thursday said he’s talked with state officials about placing consumer protections on any new health insurance policies sold in Connecticut once the new Trump administration regulation on short-term plans takes effect in about 60 days.
Posted inHealth
CT Insurance Dept. mulling expansion of ‘short-term’ plans
WASHINGTON – The Trump administration on Wednesday issued final rules that would allow states like Connecticut to allow the sale of cheaper, skimpier health care plans that were originally intended for short-term use but now be available for 364 days, or nearly 12 months at a time. Now, it’s up to state officials to allow the sale of these short-term plans, which do not have to cover pre-existing conditions.
Posted inJustice
‘Warrior of religious liberty’ Kavanaugh could shift church-state balance
WASHINGTON — There’s concern Judge Brett Kavanaugh, will speed the Supreme Court’s steady shift from a strict separation between government and religion and that his approach to religious liberty cases would determine the intensity of that trend for decades. Considered a “warrior of religious liberty” by some of his conservative admirers, Kavanaugh has defended the use of taxpayer money for religious schools and backed student-led prayers at high school football games.
Posted inJustice
There’s a reason CT Dems among the first to say they’ll vote ‘no’ on Kavanaugh
WASHINGTON – When President Donald Trump nominated federal judge Neil Gorsuch to fill an open seat on the Supreme Court last year, Connecticut’s Democratic senators waited two months to decide to vote against the candidate. Not this time with Trump’s second Supreme Court nominee, They were among the first out of the gate to say they will vote “no” on Brett Kavanaugh.
Posted inJustice
Blumenthal sounds alarm over ACA protections
Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Thursday promoted a key Democratic strategy to try to block President Donald Trump’s choice to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court, warning the candidate would roll back the Affordable Care Act’s popular guarantee of health coverage for people with pre-existing conditions.