Facing $77 million in cuts under the finalized budget, the state’s Judicial Branch has announced new actions to close the gap, including a plan to scale back community-based programs for juvenile and adult offenders.
Budget 2016
Posted inEducation, Energy & Environment, Health, Justice, Money, Politics, Transportation
Measure strips $1B in bonded projects off of CT’s credit card
The Senate voted late Thursday rebalance Connecticut’s credit card in the face of shrinking tax revenues, canceling or delaying about $1 billion in financing for a wide array of projects and programs, and to authorize $380 for municipal school construction, down significantly from recent years.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Malloy, Democrats bring very different perspectives to budget crisis
While Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is challenging his fellow Democrats in the legislature to focus less on their re-election chances and more on Connecticut’s budget crisis, legislators respond that the Democratic governor did not lead by example when dealing with the budget during his last re-election bid.
Posted inMoney
Budget tracker: See where each side stands
The budget shortfall for the coming fiscal year is approaching $1 billion, but Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and legislative leaders remain at odds on how to fix it. Here’s an updated look at how each side would address the problem.
Posted inHealth
Critics: Proposed children’s dental cut threatens CT’s turnaround
Connecticut leads the nation in the percentage of kids covered by Medicaid who go to the dentist – a dramatic change from a decade earlier, when the state ranked near the bottom, according to a national report. But dentists and advocates who have studied the changes say that progress could be set back under a proposal by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to cut the Medicaid payment rates for children’s dental care by 10 percent.
Posted inHealth, Money
How each hospital fared under the budget deal
Hospitals will receive $164.3 million in state and federal funds under the budget deal legislators approved Tuesday, restoring some of the funding Gov. Dannel P. Malloy cut from hospitals in September, as well as millions more in overdue payments. Here’s who gets what.
Posted inMoney
Malloy calls for big change in pension financing, modest business tax cuts
EAST HARTFORD — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy outlined Wednesday a sweeping plan to overhaul state government’s pension system, pushing some costs off for a decade and a half to control spiking costs that he argued could drive up taxes and drain vital programs. He also proposed modest cuts in business taxes and a cut of 500 state workers.
Posted inHealth
Mental health funding tradeoff draws criticism, praise
To avoid cutting $4.7 million from mental health and substance abuse treatment, the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services is delaying new programs, including funding for a care coordination program intended to help patients who frequently end up in the emergency room.
Posted inHealth, Money
CT’s hospital spending and taxes, explained
As state lawmakers debate the state’s treatment of hospitals, here’s a look at what Connecticut spends on hospitals, how it’s changed over the years and what the governor’s recent cuts to the industry affect.
Posted inHealth, Money
Hartford HealthCare, Day Kimball suspend talks, citing state’s ‘reckless’ cuts
Hartford HealthCare and the parent company of Day Kimball Hospital say they have suspended plans to consider an affiliation because of “severe and unexpected” cuts in Medicaid payments, a reference to $192 million in funding reductions Gov. Dannel P. Malloy made to hospitals last month.
Posted inHealth, Money
About one in four who lost HUSKY signed up for insurance
About one in four low-income parents who lost Medicaid coverage in September signed up for a private health plan through the state’s health insurance exchange before the deadline last week – a total of 166 people.
Posted inHealth
Hospitals could face larger cut
The governor cut $192 million in Medicaid funding for hospitals last month, but the actual hit to hospitals could end up being 25 percent higher. The state is holding back additional payments that weren’t part of the cost-saving measure, and the governor’s budget office said decisions about whether to pay them will be “based on whether we have enough money to keep the budget in balance.”
Posted inHealth, Money
Hospital CEO pay: red herring or key in state funding debate?
As hospital leaders warn of potential job cuts and service reductions in response to state funding cuts, the six- and seven-figure pay packages of Connecticut hospital executives have emerged as a point of contention — to some, a red herring to distract from the state’s fiscal policy, while others view it as a way to point out misplaced priorities at nonprofit hospitals at a time when executive pay and income disparities have become a rallying cry in national politics.
Posted inHealth, Money
Few who lost Medicaid have purchased insurance
When state lawmakers scaled back Medicaid eligibility for thousands of low-income parents to help balance this year’s budget, proponents argued the parents could buy deeply discounted coverage through the state’s health insurance exchange. But so far, fewer than 20 percent of those who lost coverage at the start of this month have signed up.
Posted inMoney
Track the budget: Compare the spending and revenue proposals
The new state budget takes effect today. Here’s a look at the key spending cuts and tax increases, and a look at how they were developed.