CT Legislative Special Session
The Connecticut Senate Democratic Caucus announced a series of wide-ranging policy proposals to address police accountability and systemic racial inequities during the 2020 special session (date tbd). In addition to these proposals, a variety of health care reform proposals will also be addressed as noted in the outline below.
The COS and its lobbying firm, Focus Government Affairs, will monitor the legislative activity of these proposals and advocate for the orthopaedic community and patients. For the complete announcement, please click
here
.
Health Care Reform
Addressing Overall Health Equity Issues
To address major health disparities by race and ethnicity which result in poorer health, premature deaths and hundreds of millions of dollars in health care costs
Strengthening COVID-19 Testing and Contact Tracing
To improve Connecticut’s approach to key COVID-19 prevention tools and to ensure a more equitable response
Addressing Disproportionate Cases and Deaths of Minority Populations from COVID-19
To address entrenched health disparities and strengthen state resources in the event of future public health emergencies
Strengthening Telehealth
To expand telehealth services used during the COVID-19 pandemic
Capping Insulin Costs
To cap exorbitant insulin costs and provide patients access to emergency insulin supplies
Supporting Community Health Workers
To fund community health workers who are an essential liaison between the health care and social services systems
Health Care Data Collection and Reporting
To expand data collection and reporting by race, gender, and other guidelines in order to expose health disparities and better guide health policies
Nursing Home Safeguards
To increase protections and strengthen procedures for nursing homes
Curbing Junk Health Insurance
To regulate the practices of so-called “junk” health insurance policies which deliberately target minority communities and people who have lost their jobs
Protecting Workers
To ensure everyone injured on job, especially those impacted by COVID-19, get increased protections, including workers’ compensation
Tackling Insurance Premiums
To examine and regulate expected insurance rate increases during a time of economic distress and record insurance company profits
