WASHINGTON – Saying it would end competition in key markets and erode patient care, the American Medical Association has asked the Justice Department to quash the proposed mergers between insurance giants Aetna and Humana and Anthem and Cigna.
Congress
Posted inPolitics
Blumenthal seeks last-minute safety measures in highway bill
WASHINGTON — Senate and House negotiators are working on a long-awaited, long-term transportation bill, but Sen. Richard Blumenthal and safety advocates are concerned the legislation will be seriously flawed.
Posted inPolitics
Blumenthal, McCain press ‘paid patriotism’ ban at sports games
WASHINGTON — Tributes to U.S. troops at New England Patriot games and other professional sporting events are wasteful “paid patriotism” costing taxpayers millions of dollars, say several U.S. senators, including Richard Blumenthal, who have pressure the Pentagon to stop the practice.
Posted inNews
In the news: Pacific trade pact, Sikorsky sale, billions for CT defense firms
Congress approved billions for Connecticut defense projects; Sen. Richard Blumenthal stepped up his campaign fundraising with attacks on CNBC commentator Larry Kudlow; Lockheed Martin got the last approval it needed to finalize its purchase of Sikorsky; and the White House released the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
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Train safety, gun checks, Medicare premiums among issues affecting Connecticut
Congress delayed for years the deadline for implementing a train safety system and passed a two-year budget that will help Connecticut defense contractors and Medicare recipients. Connecticut students received a mixed report card from the U.S. Department of Education, and whether Pratt & Whitney won a big engine contract remained a military secret.
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Congress debates Puerto Rico aid as more islanders head for CT
WASHINGTON — Puerto Rico’s financial problems, which are nearing a crisis stage, have sped the migration of its residents to Connecticut and the rest of the mainland, but Congress is stalled on proposals to help the island.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Congressional scrutiny of fetal tissue research threatens work at UConn, Yale
WASHINGTON – Justin Cotney uses embryonic tissue for his research as the University of Connecticut health center into why some children develop cleft palate. But the use of fetal tissue from abortions is now coming under attack by conservative Republicans who have been thwarted in their attempt to defund Planned Parenthood.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Small victories for liberals in trade pact they hate
WASHINGTON – News that the United States and 11 other Pacific Rim nations had finally reached agreement on a new trade deal was not good for opponents of the pact like Rep. Rosa DeLauro, yet liberals have won a few small victories in the deal.
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Connecticut tobacco farmers eyeing Cuban market
WASHINGTON – Before the Cuban Revolution brought on the U.S. economic embargo on the island about 55 years ago, Cuba’s world-class cigars were often wrapped in special tobacco leaves grown in Connecticut. Connecticut farmers want access to that market again, and Sen. Chris Murphy wants to help them get it.
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This Week in Washington
Congress moved at the 11th hour to avert a government shutdown, but it’s only a short-term fix — with a new budget deadline of Dec. 11. Access Health CT CEO James Wadleigh defended the operations of Connecticut’s health exchange to skeptical GOP lawmakers. Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini’s plans to merge with Humana were also scrutinized by a House panel this week.
Posted inEducation, Politics
Congress shuts loan program that helps thousands of CT students
WASHINGTON – Congress may have averted a government shutdown, but failed to prevent the demise of the nation’s oldest student aid program, known as the Perkins loan. Thousands of Connecticut students use this program to help finance their education.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Aetna, Anthem merger plans under scrutiny, again, by Congress
WASHINGTON – Members of both political parties expressed increasing skepticism Tuesday when they continued their scrutiny of the proposed mergers of insurance giants Aetna and Humana and Anthem and Cigna.
Posted inHealth, Politics
House panel grills Access Health CEO, other exchange chiefs
WASHINGTON – As part of a renewed attack on the Affordable Care Act, House Republicans grilled Access Health CEO James Wadleigh and the heads of other state marketplaces on Tuesday, saying they had wasted billions of taxpayer dollars on an effort that has raised health insurance deductibles and premiums.
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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.
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‘Pope of the people,’ citing history, urges Congress to act
WASHINGTON – Pope Francis sent a message of personal and social responsibility to a joint session of Congress and the nation Thursday, but also gently pressed lawmakers to end their partisan bickering and legislative dysfunction.