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.
Affordable Care Act
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.
Posted inHealth
Access Health CT enrollment rose, along with premiums
WASHINGTON – A new federal report shows that enrollment in Connecticut’s Affordable Care Act marketplace increased this year, even as the cost of health insurance rose sharply. The report also said that 75 percent of those purchasing insurance through Access Health CT get federal help in paying for their premiums.
Posted inHealth
Connecticut fighting Texas in legal battle over Obamacare
WASHINGTON – Connecticut supporters of the Affordable Care Act and the nation’s health insurers on Friday condemned the Trump administration’s decision against defending the health law from a lawsuit filed by Texas and a coalition of Republican states. Connecticut is part of a rival coalition of states fighting to keep the ACA in place.
Posted inPolitics
Santos, early out of the gate for Esty’s seat, has tough race ahead
Manny Santos, a former Marine and the state Republican party’s endorsed choice to break the Democratic deadlock on Connecticut’s representation in Congress, hopes to win Rep. Elizabeth Esty’s seat with a traditional GOP message of lower taxes and fewer regulations. But he first has to beat other Republicans who want the party’s nomination instead.
Posted inHealth
Dems predict ‘eye-popping’ health premium hikes, blame GOP
WASHINGTON — Sen. Chris Murphy on Tuesday helped launch a Democratic initiative that blames Republicans for “sabotaging” the Affordable Care Act, leading to sky-high health insurance premiums. Advocates for the ACA predict premiums for individual policies sold on Access Health CT will jump an average of 16.5 percent.
Posted inHealth
Bills approved mandating ‘essential benefits,’ helping uninsured pregnant women
A bill headed to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s desk would give uninsured women the ability to sign up for health insurance after they learn they are pregnant. A second bill sent to the governor requires individual and small-group health insurance policies to cover the same 10 “essential health benefits” the Affordable Care Act mandates.
Posted inHealth
New budgets fail to restore Medicaid cuts to thousands in CT
For Sally Grossman, success in business is likely to come at a cost – the loss of her health care coverage. Grossman is enrolled in a Medicaid program known as HUSKY A, whose eligibility has been tightened by Connecticut lawmakers looking to save money in the state budget.
Posted inHealth
CT lawmakers ask Malloy to help shore up Obamacare
WASHINGTON — With little hope of shoring up the Affordable Care Act in Washington, congressional Democrats, including the members of Connecticut’s delegation to the U.S. House, are asking governors and state legislatures to help. But Connecticut may be limited in what it will do to strengthen Obamacare or shield it from attempts to gut it.
Posted inHealth
Murphy introduces ‘Medicare for more’ health plan option
WASHINGTON — Sen. Chris Murphy on Wednesday introduced legislation that would allow individuals and businesses to purchase Medicare coverage. Murphy and co-sponsor Sen. Jeff Merkley say there’s little chance of immediate passage of the bill, but say there is a need for public discussion on ways to shore up the Affordable Care Act.
Posted inHealth
Bills to mandate health coverage die in committee but some support remains
The two bills that would establish an individual mandate in Connecticut failed to make it out of committee, but Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney said Wednesday he would consider reviving the proposal by offering an amendment to other legislation.
Posted inPolitics
CT lobbies Washington on taxes, riverboats and radio towers
WASHINGTON — While President Donald Trump promised to “drain the swamp,” the lobbying business is thriving, with Connecticut-based companies, non-profits, cities and universities spending a total of about $50 million to influence Congress and the new administration last year.
Posted inHealth
CT ponders an individual mandate — and two vastly different penalties
A legislative committee aired two bills Thursday that would establish a state individual health care mandate and push back on Congress’s recent repeal of the Obamacare penalty, but the bills would impose radically different fines for those who fail to buy insurance coverage.
Posted inHealth, Politics
White House moves to allow Obamacare rival
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Tuesday moved forward on allowing Americans to purchase short-term health plans that may be more affordable than what’s on the market right now but would not contain the Affordable Care Act’s consumer protections and would undermine the health care law.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Trump health plan gets mixed reviews in CT
WASHINGTON — Connecticut officials have joined a pushback against a Trump administration plan to allow unrelated employers to band together so they can provide their employees affordable — but perhaps limited — health care, while others in the state are celebrating the move.