A phalanx of AARP staffers and volunteers, including two from Connecticut, fanned out across Capitol Hill yesterday to lobby lawmakers against making changes to Social Security or Medicare in any debt-ceiling deal. The goal was straightforward, if not a political bank shot: “To get Social Security and Medicare off the table in the discussions about […]
Washington
Posted inHealth, Money
CT gets almost $2 million for school-based health centers
Connecticut is slated to get nearly $2 million in federal grant money for school-based health centers, according to the federal Department of Health and Human Services. The funding is part of the health reform law, which authorized a total of $200 million over three years for the School-Based Health Center Capital Program. The program awards […]
Posted inPolitics
Wilson-Foley raises $200,000 in 2nd quarter
Lisa Wilson-Foley, a Republican candidate for Connecticut’s 5th congressional district, raised about $200,000 in the 2nd quarter of 2011. Her campaign didn’t say how much cash she had in the bank. “With our state and country reaching almost 10% unemployment, and with our government at a stalemate in this budget crisis, I am seeing voters […]
Posted inHealth, Money
Medicare board under political microscope in the House
How to curb health care costs in the Medicare program? One solution, included in the federal health reform law, is the Independent Payment Advisory Board, a controversial federal panel established to make some of the tough decisions Congress has shied away from. But even as Medicare is a hot topic in Washington’s budget-and-deficit talks, opposition […]
Posted inMoney
Super-PACs and dark money: A guide to the new world of campaign finance
Get ready for yet another “most expensive election in history,” Kim Barker and Marian Wang say at ProPublica–this one fueled with massive amounts of money coming from “more players with more opportunities to hide the source.” Encouraged by recent court decisions, Republicans and Democrats both have been raising vast sums from wealthy donors freed from […]
Posted inPolitics
Ex-Blumenthal staffer joins Democratic Super PAC
Richard Blumenthal’s top spokesman has left the Connecticut senator’s office for a job with a Democratic “Super PAC” that could play a major role in the 2012 elections. Ty Matsdorf, who worked on Blumenthal’s 2010 Senate campaign and then joined his staff in Washington, just started a new gig at the American Bridge 21st Century. […]
Posted inMoney, Politics
Murphy raises $925,000 in 2nd quarter
Rep. Chris Murphy raised more than $900,000 for his U.S. Senate campaign in the 2nd fundraising quarter. A news release from his campaign this morning said he raised $925,000 in the 2nd Quarter, bringing his total so far this year to more $2 million. The campaign ended the 2nd quarter with more than $1.6 million […]
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Donovan raises $230,000 for 5th District contest
House Speaker Chris Donovan has raised more than $230,000 in the 2nd quarter for his bid to represent Connecticut’s 5th congressional district, his campaign said Thursday. Donovan announced his bid in mid-May, getting a later start than other contenders in the crowded contest to replace Rep. Chris Murphy. Murphy is running for the U.S. Senate. […]
Posted inHealth, Money
Medicare officials will fix error that could have cost CT hospitals $30 million
The federal Medicare and Medicaid agency has agreed to correct a $30 million mistake how it calculates payments to Connecticut hospitals. The Connecticut Hospital Association first caught the error, a provision in the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ complex reimbursement rules. The CHA determined that the error would have cost one hospital in Rep. […]
Posted inMoney
Blumenthal lauds reversal on suicide condolence letters
Sen. Richard Blumenthal applauded the White House’s decision to begin sending condolence letters to families of service members who commit suicide. Previously, the Administration’s policy had been to only send letters to families of personnel who were killed in combat or noncombat incidents in war zones. The White House initiated a review of that policy […]
Posted inPolitics
Tong, Murphy tout strength in Senate campaign organizations
William Tong may have to keep up-or even speed up-his fundraising pace, given the campaign staff he’s assembled for his U.S. Senate bid. In a release Wednesday, Tong, a state representative from Stamford, touted the political talent he’s hired for his campaign to replace retiring Sen. Joseph Lieberman. Among the recruits are Jim Jordan, a […]
Posted inMoney
Lieberman lukewarm, Blumenthal mum on Senate Dems 2012 budget plan
Senate Democratic leaders unveiled a 2012 budget blueprint Wednesday, discussing the document behind closed doors during a policy lunch. After emerging from the session, Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal declined to comment on the measure, which comes as Congress faces an increasingly tight deadline to craft a debt-and-budget deal. But Sen. Joseph Lieberman, an independent who […]
Posted inMoney, Politics
Tong raises more than $500,000 for U.S. Senate bid
William Tong said he’s raised about $550,000 in the 53 days since he jumped into the 2012 U.S. Senate contest. Tong’s campaign said Tuesday that he ended the 2nd fundraising quarter, which ran from April through June, with more than $500,000 cash on hand. Tong, a Democrat and state representative from Stamford, is in a […]
Posted inHealth
Mini-med plans explained
Federal health reform was supposed to limit so-called “mini-med” plans-health insurance plans that cap how much health care they cover. But federal officials have granted some of these plans waivers from the law, out of fear that employers would drop any insurance option if they had to comply with the new rules. The Kaiser Family […]
Posted inMoney
Larson blasts Colombia trade deal
Rep. John Larson said Thursday that he would “actively oppose” a free-trade deal with Colombia negotiated by the White House. Larson said the deal would be bad for workers in the U.S. and in Colombia, because Republican had blocked the inclusion of provisions aimed at improving labor rights in the deal. Here’s Larson’s full statement: […]