Healthcare Affordability, Electric Vehicles, and Apartment Renovations

January 26, 2024


My colleagues and I are working on a series of reforms that would make healthcare more affordable for everyone. Please read below to get a deep dive into our proposals.

I had a fabulous guest join my weekly radio show to talk about the state's transition to compost and electric vehicles. Keep scrolling to learn more about how our state is trying to go green right now.

And, an apartment complex in Windham is receiving $2 million for upgrades and renovations. I'll break down how that investment is going to bring new life to our community.

Here are the sections in today's email:

  • Fighting For Healthcare Affordability
  • Let's Talk About It: Trash Removal & Electric Vehicles
  • Upgrades Coming To Apartment Complex
 
Fighting For Healthcare Affordability

One of our priorities in this legislative session is making healthcare more affordable for everyone. It is no secret that more families are finding it harder to afford basic necessities. In response, my colleagues and I are championing a set of reforms aimed at reducing healthcare costs and increasing protections for consumers. We are committed to crafting and implementing policies, ensuring that healthcare becomes more accessible and affordable for everyone.

One proposal calls for the adoption of insurance rate review reforms. They include:

  • Subjecting insurance companies to the Uniform Procedures Act, which creates a process for companies to explain how they justify a rate increase
  • Requiring insurance companies and pharmacy benefit managers to have a fiduciary responsibility to get the best price
  • Revising Certificate of Need laws to cover insurers’ purchase of medical provider practices
We are also looking to pass a bill that would provide tax breaks and incentives for small businesses that provide consumer-protected health insurance options. This bill would allow those businesses to provide quality healthcare for their employees and potentially grow. These are the types of policies that attract and retain great employees in our state.

We must also restrict the use of stop loss/level funded insurance products that hurt consumers. These plans operate outside the protections of the Affordable Care Act, penalize companies with employees with higher health needs, and destabilize the small group insurance market, while doing nothing to address underlying costs.

These transformative proposals would give us more control when it comes to insurance costs and affordability. By embracing these ideas, we aim to reshape the landscape of healthcare financing, making it more responsive to our needs. As we embark on this path of reform, our ultimate goal is to establish a healthcare environment where costs are not only controlled but are also aligned with the principle of accessibility for all.

Please click on the video below to watch my remarks from Tuesday's press conference.
We are rolling out proposals to help reduce healthcare costs.
 
Let's Talk About It:
Trash Removal & Electric Vehicles
Our state is in the midst of an environmental transition when it comes to our vehicles and our trash. James Albis, an expert in both fields, broke down everything you need to know on both issues on my weekly radio show “Let’s Talk About It.” Albis is a senior policy advisor for House Democrats and used to serve as the DEEP Director of Policy and Planning for Materials Management.

We began by discussing our recycling and trash disposal methods in our state. Connecticut mainly relies on waste-to-energy plants to manage our waste disposal. Over decades of use, these facilities have deteriorated leading to the closure of at least one plant in Hartford. We are now shipping about 40% of trash requiring disposal to landfills in other states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Virginia. This has led to higher bills for municipalities to ship waste over several state lines.

Connecticut is now running pilot programs in certain communities to collect food scraps in town. One pilot program allows households to place trash and food scraps in different, color coded bags. The food scraps are sent to a local composting facility or to the state’s only anaerobic digester facility in Southington. The scraps are turned into compost or clean, renewable energy.

We also discussed the importance of transitioning to electric vehicles (EV) to help the environment. Our state legislature is following California’s standards for light-duty passenger vehicles. The goal is for dealerships to sell more new vehicles that produce zero emissions. We are focused on collaborating with important stakeholders like EV manufacturers, local businesses, municipalities, and residents to ensure infrastructure necessary to support this transition, such as charging stations, is widely available.

Some of the advantages of driving an electric vehicle include:

  • Zero emissions released
  • Federal tax breaks & state tax rebates
  • Improving CT’s air quality which is one of the worst in the U.S.
  • Less likely to catch fire than gas powered vehicle
  • Quieter ride

We also talked about hydrogen fuel cells and how they compare to lithium-ion EVs. To learn more about that and to listen to the rest of the show, please click on the video below.
James Albis discusses transition to electric vehicles and composting.
 
Upgrades Coming To Apartment Complex

An apartment complex for elderly and disabled residents in Windham is about to get a major makeover! The Connecticut Department of Housing is awarding $2 million in grants to upgrade the apartments at Father Honan Terrace.

The investment will lead to the rehabilitation of the property and subsequent improvement to the quality of life of its residents. Some of the upgrades include:

  • Renovations to all unit kitchens bathrooms including low flow fixtures
  • Interior and exterior LED lighting
  • Replacement of interior doors and hardware
  • Improved smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
It’s all part of a $12.1 million dollar investment in small cities grants which is administered by the Connecticut Department of Housing with funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Click Here To Learn More