Rell health Rx: another study
Capping months of lobbying by hundreds of activists, Gov. M. Jodi Rell vetoed two bills that would have radically changed the state’s health care system.
Rell rejected the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut’s SustiNet plan, aimed at cutting costs even while creating near-universal insurance coverage; and the Connecticut Healthcare Partnership allowing small businesses to be included in the massive insurance pool of state employees while converting that plan to a self-funded model, in an attempt to limit sharp premium fluctuations due to the impact a few employees might have on a small group’s insurance ratings.
At the same time, Rell issued an executive order establishing a health care reform advisory board to develop state-level policies by January 2011 in response to reforms under consideration at the federal level – less than a year after a Rell commission issued a range of recommendations for the state to pursue, some of which were mirrored in the SustiNet proposal.
“It’s a slap in the face to thousands of small businesses and every person in this state who cannot wait for quality, affordable health care,” said Juan Figueroa, president of Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut, which led the design of SustiNet. “With the stroke of a pen, today she turned her back on their plight. She also chose to ignore the broad coalition of residents who contributed to the development and passage of this legislation. Business, labor, health care providers, faith leaders, all were at the table.”
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