Democrats eye tax on insurers to fund broader health reform package
Cars queue for Covid-19 testing at Hartford Hospital’s drive-through sampling site on Hudson Street.
Tapping into frustrations over the rising cost of health coverage and a lack of access to care, Democratic lawmakers in Connecticut are planning a package of reforms aimed at reducing expenses for people who buy their health insurance through the state’s exchange and making coverage more affordable for small businesses.
At the center of the proposal is a plan to revive the Health Insurance Providers Fee, more commonly known as the Health Insurance Tax – a tax on carriers created under the Affordable Care Act to help fund federal and state marketplace exchanges. Congress repealed the federal tax on insurers in 2019; the rollback is effective this month.
CT officials point the finger at Trump for mob breach of U.S. Capitol
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Gov. Ned Lamont quickly condemned the violence in the nation’s Capitol, blaming President Donald Trump for inciting his supporters into violence.Cassandra Day / Hearst Connecticut Media /Show MoreShow Less
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Former U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, in a file photo.File Photo /Cathy Zuraw / File PhotoShow MoreShow Less
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Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney, left, and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff in a 2017 file photo.Ken Dixon / Hearst Connecticut MediaShow MoreShow Less
Reaction from Connecticut’s top elected officials was swift and solemn Wednesday as they watched images of insurrection from Washington that were fueled by President Donald J. Trump on the day that electoral votes were to be counted.
CT Legislature opens with less pomp, more circumstance
Matt Ritter being sworn in as a House Speaker outside the State Capitol.
The Connecticut General Assembly opened its 2021 session in extraordinary fashion Wednesday, taking the oath of office in two socially distanced ceremonies on the grounds of the state Capitol, applauded by friends and heckled by protesters.
On a day when the president of the United States was pressuring Congress to reject the votes of the American people, the leaders of the General Assembly were elected by acclamation, with minority Republicans pledging to help the majority Democrats make the session function.
Published December 16. 2020 5:02PM
State Sen. Heather Somers, R-Groton, has been reappointed by Senate Minority Leader Kevin Kelly, R-Stratford, to serve as the leading Republican on the General Assembly’s Public Health Committee.
The committee has jurisdiction over matters relating to the Department of Public Health, the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the Department of Developmental Services, emergency medical services, nursing homes and the treatment of substance abuse.
Somers, serving a third term in the 18th Senate District, also will be the ranking senator on the Transportation Committee, which has cognizance of all matters relating to the Department of Transportation, including highways and bridges, navigation, aeronautics and mass transit, and the Department of Motor Vehicles. She also will serve as a member of the Appropriations Committee, which formulates the spending portion of the state budget, as well as on the Executive and Legislative Nomin