Posted inHealth, Politics

McConnell tweaks health care bill to win conservative support

WASHINGTON — Sen. Mitch McConnell rolled out a new health care bill that is broadly similar to the one that foundered in the Senate last month, but contains a few new provisions aimed at winning over recalcitrant Republican senators. The new bill was excoriated by Connecticut Democrats, and increased Democratic opposition to the effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

Posted inHealth, Politics

Insurers: Repeal of ACA should go slowly, keep subsidies awhile

WASHINGTON – As Republicans in Congress begin work on a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, the nation’s health insurers are telling lawmakers to keep paying subsidies to the companies and to low-income Americans so they can afford coverage. Insurers are also asking that Congress create a long transition period before changes to the ACA take effect.

Posted inPolitics

As ACA faces new challenges, fixes not assured

WASHINGTON — The Affordable Care Act is facing more challenges than at any time since its initial enrollment period in 2013, when the program was bedeviled by technical glitches. Besides rising premiums and fewer choices in Connecticut and elsewhere, there’s uncertainty a new Congress and a new administration will make fixes to the ACA that will improve its health.

Posted inMoney, Politics

Will Malloy spend Connecticut’s shaky surplus on election-year tax cut?

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy finally has a chance to trumpet a large budget surplus, even though much of it stands on shaky underpinnings. And Republicans suspect the Democratic governor will use it next month to pay for an election-year tax cut — even though a larger deficit has been forecast for just a year from now.