SENATOR MARX PROUD AS HER BILLS TO PROTECT PATIENTS, REDUCE CONSUMER COSTS WILL BECOME LAW OCTOBER 1

This week, State Senator Martha Marx (D-New London) is proud as two of her first introduced bills, which will respectively improve patient outcomes and reduce rehospitalizations for those released from hospitals and cut pesky and frustrating charges from consumer bills, will become law on October 1 after being approved by legislators and signed into law earlier this year.

Senate Bill 956, which passed the Senate in May and the House in June with unanimous bipartisan support and will become law on October 1 after being signed by Governor Lamont, sets new standards for hospital and nursing home discharge planning services. Under its changes, written discharge plans will include dates and locations of follow-up medical appointments scheduled prior to patient discharge. Such plans will be made in consultation with patients, their families or representatives and their physicians; the information regarding prescriptions will also be sent to patient pharmacies electronically, making pharmacists part of the discharge plan. If a patient cannot see a specialist for at least three months, then their discharge plan will change based on the amount of medication they will require during that time.

“This bill is an example of why I wanted to become a State Senator – to introduce legislation that would help people,” said Sen. Marx. “I’m confident this bill will save lives and improve patient outcomes for those leaving hospitals and long-term care facilities. It will make sure that people who are discharged after receiving medical care have their follow-up appointments ready and that they and their pharmacists will know the medication they need to take. These seem like simple steps, but too many patients struggle to know what they need to do after exiting care. This legislation will reduce the number of people who return to hospitals needing further aid.”

This new law comes as the Patient Safety Network found that nearly 20% of hospital patients discharged experience adverse events within three weeks of discharge and nearly 75% of those events could have been prevented or improved. Adverse drug events are the most common discharge complication of this nature and nearly 20% of Medicare patients are rehospitalized within 20 days of discharge. This law can help improve patient medical costs, hospital care capacity and improve public health upon its passage.

Additionally, at the beginning of the 2023 Legislative Session, Sen. Marx introduced Senate Bill 398, which would prohibit businesses from charging consumers for the receipt of paper bills instead of electronic bills. This policy was included in House Bill 5314, which passed both chambers and was signed by Governor Lamont; the legislation also requires certain companies to provide bills to consumers in paper form. Customers without reliable internet access, senior residents with limited knowledge in using digital devices and customers experiencing financial difficulties all are sometimes charged for receiving paper bills for services; removing this charge will save them dozens of dollars annually.

“It doesn’t cost much for a company to send a paper bill, but they feel comfortable charging several dollars a month for the privilege,” said Sen. Marx. “I heard from my constituents who found these fees frustrating, and even punitive. Changing this policy will support and benefit thousands of consumers.”

Some companies, such as telecommunications providers, charge several dollars per month to customers who prefer receiving paper bills to digital ones; according to the website PaperAge, it costs less than 75 cents for a company to produce and mail a statement to a customer, indicating these several-dollar charges are an opportunity to benefit from consumer preferences. New York and Pennsylvania have passed similar laws.

COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FUND BOARD APPROVES $1.1 MILLION IN FUNDING TO SUPPORT LYMAN ALLYN ART MUSEUM PARK PROJECT

Today, the board for the Community Investment Fund met to approve more than $100 million in funding to support projects in towns and cities statewide, including $1,117,970 in support for the Lyman Allyn Park Project in New London. This project will see grant funding support the multi-year revitalization of the museum’s campus and installation of a new park on the local grounds, including work on the pedestrian entrance, pond, walkways, pollinator garden and bus stop there.

“It’s great to see this funding support the Lyman Allyn Museum and its development of a new park,” said State Senator Martha Marx (D-New London). “This beautiful new addition will further strengthen this local educational resource and benefit not only the local community but add to the museum’s drawing power, supporting our community as a whole.”

Developed to foster economic development in historically underserved Connecticut communities, this is the latest in $875 million in total statewide investments for municipalities, nonprofits and community development corporations to support capital improvement, small business capital and planning projects around the state.

Members of the board include state Senate and House leaders, commissioners of state departments, state elected leaders and representatives from Governor Lamont’s administration.