Will the Comptroller open the state-run healthcare plan’s books?
What choices do you have when you cannot defend a policy issue on its merits? One path is that chosen by former New Britain Democratic Town Committee chair Bill Shortell in his April 14 Viewpoints opinion piece, “Debunking the CBIA’s takedown of the public option healthcare bill.”
Instead of defending any perceived merits associated with the proposed expansion of state-run healthcare in Connecticut, Shortell attacks the messenger. In this case, two organizations that have raised legitimate and unanswered questions about that proposal.
In doing so, Shortell spotlights lingering questions about government transparency, accountability, and oversight as it relates to the troubled healthcare plan the state runs for Connecticut cities and towns a plan that is the model for the public option proposal now before the legislature.
The Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA) is calling for an independent audit of the state-administered health care program for municipal employees as part of its push against the public-option health insurance proposal advanced by State Comptroller Kevin Lembo.
Connecticut Comptroller says survey shows majority of small business owners support government-sponsored health care; business groups disagree
Hartford Courant (CT)
Comptroller
Kevin Lembo, seeking to build support for broader government involvement in health insurance, on Monday embraced a survey that says 72% of small-business owners in
Connecticut support a public health insurance option to compete with private plans.
Business groups dispute the results of the survey by
ALG Research, which conducts polling for Democratic candidates at the federal and state levels.
Overall, 71% of registered voters surveyed
between Dec. 14 and 20 said they support a public health insurance option, while 18% oppose it, according to the survey by
The recently begun legislative session will be a major test for Chris DiPentima, who left his job as an aerospace manufacturing executive last summer to become CEO of Connecticut’s largest business lobby.
As the policy and budget debates get underway at the Capitol, COVID-19 infections remain elevated, threatening further damage to an economy that’s still limping along from the pandemic’s effects over the past 10 months.
However, with the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines now underway, there’s tangible hope on the horizon.
Amid that backdrop, DiPentima said it will be crucial for the Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA) to help its members weather the coming months, as time is still needed to let the vaccines produce their desired effects on both the spread of the virus and economy.