State Senator Jonathan A. Harris
May 30, 2009
Harris Leads Passage of ‘Sustinet’ Health Care Reform Bill
State Senator Jonathan A. Harris (D-West Hartford), the Co-Chairman of the Public Health Committee, led the passage in the Senate today of legislation which could ultimately led to a major reform of Connecticut’s broken health care system, thereby addressing one of the most expensive and critical aspects of daily life for millions of state residents.
The bill, AN ACT CONCERNING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SUSTINET PLAN, passed the Senate today on a 23-12 vote. It passed the House on a 107-35 vote on May 20 and now heads to the governor’s desk for her signature.
The legislation presents a comprehensive plan to lower the cost of health care, expand access to quality care, and virtually eliminate the uninsured.
“We have people from all across Connecticut who have a stake in the success of this plan — patients, doctors, hospitals, insurance companies and businesses,” Sen. Harris said. “Sustinet picks a path, links us with federal reforms and federal dollars, and leaves it to future legislators to implement the specifics of a delivery system.
“We already have universal health care in Connecticut, but it’s not working. It’s sick care. It’s the ER,” he continued. “People who can’t afford or don’t have health insurance don’t take care of themselves, and when they get sick they end up in the hospital emergency room with their bills paid for by the taxpayers of Connecticut. This Sustinet plan addresses cost, quality, access and coverage, and it does so in a more humane, more efficient, and more cost-effective manner than any other proposal to date.”
The legislation, House Bill 6600, creates a nine-member “SustiNet Health Partnership Board of Directors” that must make recommendations to the legislature by January 1, 2011 on the details and implementation of a self-insured health-care delivery plan.
These recommendations must include:
- The establishment of a public authority with the power to contract with insurers and health care providers, develop a health-care infrastructure (“medical homes”), set reimbursement rates, create advisory committees, and encourage the use of health information technology;
- Slowing the growth of per-capita health care spending both in the short-term and in the long-term
- A phased-in offering of the SustiNet Plan to state employees and retirees, HUSKY A and B beneficiaries, people without employer- sponsored insurance (ESI), people with unaffordable ESI, small and large employers, and others ;
- Guidelines for the development of a model benefits package;
- Public outreach and methods of identifying uninsured citizens;
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Senator Harris’ |
Listing of Senator Harris’ recent press releases and a Press Kit with official head shots and bio. |
Press Aide Laurence Cook |
