Connecticut Boosts Health Care Support for Paraeducators

A temporary subsidy program launched last year to help thousands of Connecticut paraeducators cover out-of-pocket health care expenses has been renewed and expanded, state officials announced Tuesday.

During a mid-day press conference outside Meriden’s Francis Maloney High School, State Comptroller Sean Scanlon said the bolstered program would help school districts fill critical paraeducator vacancies as students returned to classrooms across Connecticut.

“There is already a shortage of these individuals [paraeducators] to meet the needs that we have in the classrooms of Connecticut and so we came together and did what Connecticut does best, which is — thanks to the governor’s leadership, the legislature — we got everyone around a table and we figured out what we could do to solve what was very big problem,” Scanlon said.

Last year, the program received $5 million in state funding and helped 4,166 paraeducators cover out-of-pocket expenses under high-deductible health care plans. State officials have renewed that subsidy for this school year.

This year, policymakers also dedicated an additional $5 million to expanding the initiative through a second subsidy intended to offset the cost of insurance premiums paid by paraeducators who are enrolled in traditional copay plans.

State officials expect the two subsidies to assist a combined total of roughly 6,000 paraeducators across the state.

Sen. Jan Hochadel, a Meriden Democrat and former teacher, said the assistance would begin to remedy a disparity between the vital work performed by paraeducators and the compensation they receive. She described paraeducators as the “glue” that held many schools together, often caring for and supporting many of the state’s most vulnerable students.

“The truth is, our public schools could not provide the academic and social support that are needed for all students without our paraeducators,” Hochadel said, “and, as has been mentioned many times, these are most often our lowest-paid workers.”

Sen. Doug McCrory, a longtime educator who co-chairs the legislature’s Education Committee, said he found paraeducators to be essential to a functioning classroom. McCrory said the expanded subsidy announced Tuesday represented a step toward fair compensation for paraeducators.

“As we continue to move forward, we need to provide a living wage and also encourage more of our young people to get that experience in the classroom,” McCrory said. “I know so many people who were paras at first and became teachers themselves because they had that experience.”

During the press conference, Gov. Ned Lamont praised Connecticut’s schools as the best in the nation and said he expected to continue building on the health care subsidies for paraeducators who supported those schools.

“What I love about our state is we care about these kids,” the governor said. “And a little bit of extra respect to show what we can do for our paras — make it a little bit easier for them to show up every day, make it a little bit easier for them to live. That’s what we’re trying to do today, that’s what this subsidy means.”

Posted by Hugh McQuaid

Cabrera Proposes Public Option as the Answer to Proposed Insurance Rate Hikes

State Senator Jorge Cabrera of Hamden had a simple answer this week to all of the concerns surrounding the 2025 health insurance rate increases proposed by Connecticut insurers on nearly 200,000 people and businesses: just pass a “public option” law and let those people buy quality, less-expensive health insurance through the State of Connecticut.

Republicans in Connecticut have firmly opposed such a money-saving public option for years, but Cabrera – who is Senate Chair of the Insurance and Real Estate Committee – says after decades of Connecticut insurers raising health insurance rates on the public year after year, it’s time for an all-new approach.

“I understand insurance company arguments that they’re simply passing along higher pharmacy and hospital costs via premium rate increases onto their customers, but this annual rate review process has sounded like a broken record for several years now,” Cabrera said Tuesday during an Insurance Department public hearing on the rate requests. “Connecticut sets price targets, insurance companies come in way above these targets, the Insurance Department cuts the rate requests in half, but consumers still end up paying more every year. As has been stated, a third of state residents are struggling to pay their medical bills, and nearly half are forgoing medical care because of the high cost.”

“What we need to do is re-double our efforts to pass a public option here in Connecticut, where individuals and businesses can buy into the state’s health insurance plan,” Cabrera said. “We’ve raised several public option bills in recent years, and they’ve all received vehement opposition from Republicans. But the segment of Connecticut’s healthcare consumers who are in these small group and individual markets – about 200,000 people – need another high-quality, affordable health insurance option. And that option is the public option. This should be a priority for the General Assembly in 2025.”

Last week, the Insurance Department held a hearing on the initial proposed health insurance rate filings for the 2025 individual and small group markets. There are 8 filings made by 7 health insurers for plans that currently cover approximately 200,000 people (142,000 individual and 58,000 small group).

The proposed average individual rate request is an 8.3% increase, compared to 12.4% in 2024, and ranges from 7.4% to 12.5%. The proposed average small group rate request is an 11.9% increase, compared to 14.8% in 2024, and ranges from 5.1% to 13.6%.

In general, carriers have attributed the proposed increases to escalating costs trends for prescription drugs and the increased demand for medical services; experience adjustments; Medicaid unwinding; and higher than assumed COVID-19 costs.

Insurance companies received fierce lines of questioning from Connecticut officials, including Assistant Attorney General Thomas Ryan, who said insurance companies are claiming certain costs as seemingly untouchable medical cost increases when in fact those costs are negotiated between insurance companies and hospitals.

“Do you need the state to put a cap in place? Do you need the state to oversee those negotiations?” Ryan asked. “You guys are telling me that you’re not able to negotiate lower costs. … I’ve been here since 2009 and we’ve been talking about it every year, so what needs to change?”

The Insurance Department expects to make final rulings on the proposals in early September. Open enrollment for the 2025 coverage year begins Nov. 1, 2024.

Posted by Lawrence Cook

Connecticut’s Financial Education Celebrated on National Financial Awareness Day

State and education officials highlighted the importance of a new law adding financial literacy instruction to high school graduation requirements as part of a Wednesday press conference marking National Financial Awareness Day.

The press conference, held in the Legislative Office Building, served to raise awareness of the benefits of financial planning and to alert Connecticut residents to available assistance programs. During the event, State Comptroller Sean Scanlon spoke of the importance of financial literacy.

“What we know is that if we start early, if we get people to have financial awareness at an early age, we really can make a difference in their life and not just in their life but in the trajectory of their family because if we can stop that generational illiteracy when it comes to finances and make [them] more aware, that is going to dramatically change that family’s future,” Scanlon said.

The focus on improving financial literacy coincides with a new statute, meant to ensure that Connecticut students are equipped with financial skills before leaving high school. Last year, the state legislature passed a requirement that high school students receive at least a half-credit of personal financial management prior to graduation.

The financial literacy law received bipartisan support in the legislature and was passed nearly unanimously in the state Senate, where only Sen. Rob Sampson, R-Wolcott, opposed it.

On Wednesday, state Rep. Jeff Currey, an East Hartford Democrat who co-chairs the legislature’s Education Committee, said Connecticut students entering their sophomore year in high school would be the first class to graduate under the new requirement.

Barbara Angelicola-Manzolli, a teacher at Lewis Mills High School and longtime advocate of making personal finance a graduation requirement, said the law made Connecticut the 21st state to adopt a similar standard.

“We have to teach [students] to save at a young age,” Angelicola-Manzolli said. “So what these gentlemen are doing by encouraging families and encouraging students to start saving at a young age — that’s the first key.”

Avery Rhinesmith, an incoming senior at Lewis Mills, was one of the students who received financial instruction from Angelicola-Manzolli. Rhinesmith discussed the important considerations she took from the class including saving money, planning for a career, and planning for later stages of life.

“Barbara also went over how to do our taxes, which is something, as a 17-16 year-old, not many kids know how to do,” she said. “I know that there’s a long form and a short form and how to fill both out.”

Throughout the press conference, Scanlon and State Treasurer Erick Russell sought to raise awareness of financial planning programs like MyCTSavings, a state-run retirement savings plan, the Connecticut Higher Education Trust, as well as Connecticut’s Baby Bonds program.

However, Russell said that residents needed a strong foundation to make the best of those programs.

“As we think about all the opportunities and programs that are out there in Connecticut, they only work if folks have the financial education to really maximize those opportunities,” Russell said.

Posted by Hugh McQuaid

International Overdose Awareness Day

Saturday, August 31 marks a somber anniversary. In honor of the more than 1,400 opioid deaths experienced in Connecticut each year – meaning 1,400 families and countless friends and colleagues losing a loved one and nearly four people passing away per day in that time – and more than 80,000 total overdoses nationwide in 2023, August 31 commemorates International Overdose Awareness Day.

This date leads to significant increases in drawing attention to the resources available to individuals struggling with substance use disorder and addiction, helping them seek treatment and recovery; it also is meant to aid families and loved ones of those struggling with addition, helping them best practices in caring for those close to them.

A secondary focal point of International Overdose Awareness Day is its effort to reduce the stigma that sometimes shrouds substance use disorder and can prevent people from seeking aid. Substance use disorder doesn’t discriminate and is an illness that can impact anyone, far from societal assumptions of addition being a personal or moral failing. These indications changing and becoming less harmful to the individual play a vital role in helping people accept treatment, which can and does save lives. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institute on Drug Abuse, three of four people who struggle with addiction recover from the condition.

Addiction and substance use disorder, especially regarding the opioid epidemic, are increasingly dangerous for the public. The CDC reported in 2022 that 80% of deaths from overdose in Connecticut were caused primarily by fentanyl, a synthetic narcotic that can be extremely dangerous and has grown in use in recent years. This means that connecting those in need with the care they deserve is more important than ever, as the possibility of overdose has grown precipitously with fentanyl’s increasing spread.

Connecticut has many resources available to those experiencing substance use disorder and their loved ones to prevent more grief and mourning, as each life lost sends a ripple effect through the lives of those who love them. Since 2019, Connecticut has had the LiveLOUD campaign in place, which uses social media, radio, transit and billboard ads to connect with people actively using fentanyl, heroin or prescription opioids and their families and communities. www.LiveLOUD.org offers support and treatment options on this complicated issue and information on how to spread awareness of addition.

Additionally, those seeking treatment can also access state resources through www.CTAddictionServices.com or call 1-800-563-4086 to get connected to local treatment services.

International Overdose Awareness Day marks a somber occasion, but also has the potential to save lives. By treating addiction with the seriousness it deserves we can achieve much stronger results in helping individuals receive the care they need.

Posted by Joe O’Leary

Connecticut Pushes for Reduced Screen Time as Students Head Back to School

As students return to school and families prepare for another academic year, Connecticut is trying to bring a new perspective to the classroom – one with much less screen time.

Governor Ned Lamont and Education Commissioner Charlene M. Russell-Tucker have urged local school districts to consider implementing recommendations regarding use of personal technology like smartphones in schools. The guidance was approved by the State Board of Education and recommends restricting use of cell phones during the school day to keep students engaged, support their emotional well-being and strengthen their interpersonal and social communications.

According to Common Sense Media, 43% of children ages 8-12 have their own phone, while that number leaps as high as 95% for students ages 13-18; half of children nationally get their first smartphone by the age of 11. In a study, adolescents used their phones anywhere from four to 16 hours per day, depending on usage strategies; 97% of students reported using phones during school hours for time periods ranging from just a minute to a max of 6.5 hours.

In recent years, policies trying to keep students off their phones have grown significantly across the country. Some states, like Florida, have fully banned students using cell phones during classes, while other policies are less strict. Some schools limit use only during classroom time, while others prevent their use all day. Strategies range from drop-off points in individual classrooms to Yondr pouches, which lock phones inside until students leave school for the day. According to Education Week, nearly 77% of schools bar non-academic use of phones during school hours.

This push is gaining steam, with the U.S. Surgeon General saying children under the age of 14 shouldn’t use social media and studies connecting screen time with mental health issues, including a tie between depression and phone use. World Metrics reported that 73% of teachers believe cell phone usage in schools harms learning, nearly half of students have cheated using their phones and two in five teachers have received complaints from students about inappropriate content on phones. While three in four students say cell phones help them stay organized and manage their schedules, schools with no-phone policies are reporting positive results.

Rice University reported that studies continually support policies limiting phone use, with 61% of parents and more than 90% of principals supporting school phone bans, citing their potential to impede focus, increase cyberbullying, as well as other issues. The New York Times reported that cell phone bans reduced cyberbullying in Spain and led to female students improving their grades.

In its development of the policies, the State Board of Education recommended removing cell phones from elementary and middle schools, with high schools given some ability to determine what “excessive use” entails. The board recommended that high schools develop policies that turn off cell phones and keep them out of sight in classrooms to help students focus on learning. It cited existing policies that range from school to school including in Torrington, Milford and Lisbon

Posted by Joe O’Leary

Connecticut Taxpayers Eligible for Free Filing Software This Winter

Starting this tax season, Connecticut filers will be able to file their taxes online, directly with the IRS for free with IRS Direct File.

IRS Direct File is a free, online tax filing option that started as a pilot program for the past filing season, when it helped 140,000 taxpayers to claim more than $90 million in refunds and save an estimated $5.6 million in filing costs. The U.S. Treasury is expanding the program to all 50 states, allowing taxpayers across the country to save money this tax season.

Direct File was created with funds allocated by President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which has allowed the IRS to improve customer service in-person, over the phone and online — ensuring that taxpayers can claim all the benefits and deductions they are eligible for.

“Direct File is a great resource for taxpayers everywhere and I am thrilled that now, thanks to the Biden-Harris administration, Connecticut residents will have an alternative option to for-profit filing software,” Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, said. “This will save taxpayers time, money and stress this winter — while ensuring that they will receive every deduction and benefit they are owed.”

Users who filed their taxes with Direct File during its pilot run reported a high degree of satisfaction and quick answers to their filing questions. In a GSA Touchpoints survey of more than 11,000 Direct File users, 90% of respondents ranked their experience with Direct File as “Excellent” or “Above Average.” A majority of survey respondents who filed taxes in the prior year reported having to pay to prepare their taxes last year

Posted by Garnet McLaughlin