Saud Anwar

Senator Anwar Supports and Speaks on the State and Hospital Association Agreement

HARTFORD – Today, State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) supported and voted to approve the agreement between the state of Connecticut and the state hospital association.

“In the last few years, the state hospital association and the state of Connecticut have disagreed on taxes and Medicaid payments, requiring leadership to commit to resolve,” said Sen. Anwar. “This required creating win-win strategies so that taxpayers and hospital systems, which not only care for patients but are one of the largest employers in the state, both benefit. As the agreement has been made, it required legislators to weigh in and vote on this agreement. I spoke about the importance of a collaborative relationship for the well-being of our state rather than adversarial relation. We need to create predictability in Medicaid payments so budgeting can take place within health care systems without issue.”

Sen. Anwar said that the current agreement does not discuss the need for hospitals and health care systems to invest in the local communities, and the preventive management of the people in the region. That means legislators also need to address this and make sure that the hospitals’ workforces are treated in a fair manner. They will also need to address medical debt collection practices. Sen. Anwar looks forward to addressing those issues in future conversations.

The passage of the negotiated agreement and the accompanying legislation results in a seven-year plan that creates fiscal predictability for both the State of Connecticut and hospitals. In addition, it includes Medicaid rate increases each year for the length of the agreement. The passage of this agreement and the legislation resolves the $4 billion in legal claims for which the state was potentially liable.