Lawmakers Pass On Overriding Malloy’s Vetoes
by Christine Stuart | Jul 20, 2011 5:53pm
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Posted to: State Capitol
The Democrat-controlled General Assembly won’t be returning next week to override any of Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s six vetoes.
Democratic leaders in the legislature decided not to wage a war with the first Democratic governor in 20 years over six pieces of legislation, even though they say they’re still trying to work out a deal on at least one of them.
House Speaker Chris Donovan, D-Meriden, said there’s some bills of concern and he’s still working with his caucus and members of the governor’s office to see where things stand. But he acknowledged it was unlikely the legislature will return to override a gubernatorial veto.
Sen. President Donald Williams, D-Brooklyn, said they’re working with healthcare advocates and the governor’s office to see if they can’t find a middle ground on a bill that would have required the state Insurance Commissioner to hold a public hearing on any health insurance rate increase over 10 percent.
He said they’re trying to figure out how to create some forum or discussion of rate increases that are out of line with medical claims history or actuarial data.
Earlier this month Malloy said he vetoed the bill because it would create a costly and unnecessary requirement.
“The department regularly rejects requests that are not actuarially warranted,” he said in his veto message. “The current process fully protects from excessive and discriminatory rate increases.”
But proponents of the bill questioned that assertion.
“I know of only two instances in the past five years or so when a health insurance rate was rejected, and both times, it was due to the involvement of the attorney general and healthcare advocate,” Jennifer Jaff, executive director of Advocacy for Patients with Chronic Illness Inc., said the day Malloy vetoed the bill. “I do not believe that we can get a grip on escalating health insurance premiums in Connecticut without public hearings.”
Under an agreement reached between the executive and legislative branches, the Office of Health Advocate can request that the Insurance Commissioner hold a hearing for rate increases of at least 15 percent or more on individual and small group HMO plans.
The collaboration allows for up to four hearings a year while the commissioner can exercise his current broad statutory authority to hold hearings on other health products, including long term health care policies, if necessary. Additional changes could be discussed next year, according to a press release from Williams’ office.
“Disagreement over the specifics of certain legislation is inevitable, but fortunately we all agree that there must be greater transparency in the rate approval process,” said Sen. Majority Leader Martin Looney, D-New Haven. “I’m pleased that we’ve been able to work with the Malloy Administration and begin work on a compromise that will benefit consumers and enhance close scrutiny of proposed health insurance increases.”
The five other bills Malloy vetoed included An Act Reconstituting the Connecticut Capitol Center Commission, An Act Promoting Economic Development In The Area Surrounding Oxford Airport, An Act Concerning Revisions of Municipal Charters, An Act Concerning Exempting Certified Police Officers From Telecommunicator Training, and An Act Concerning the Siting Council.
Tags: veto, Malloy, override, Democratic governor, legislature
(2) Comments
posted by: gutbomb86 | July 20, 2011 6:34pm
If an insurer wants a rate hike, include the price of public hearings - to be administered by the state - in the cost of the rate-hike application.
posted by: SJAY | July 28, 2011 3:18pm
I support Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s thoughtful and considered veto of the Oxford airport enterprise zone bill. In spite of questionable net economic and administrative benefits of such designations, political, economic and local economic development parochialism have created 34 distinct areas within competing municipalities that now provide the same incentives under a variety of beguiling names: bioscience enterprise corridor zone, defense plant zone, contiguous municipality zone, entertainment district, railroad depot zone, manufacturing plant zone and qualified manufacturing plant zone, as well as the adjacent five-town Naugatuck Valley enterprise corridor zone.
The Connecticut Airport Authority bill also won overwhelming bipartisan legislative support, but it was not a “feel good” bill. Sen. L. Scott Frantz of Greenwich, ranking GOP senator on the Commerce Committee, called the legislation “one of the more exciting bills to come along” in recent years.
The new nine-member Connecticut Airport Authority, composed of public- and private-sector representatives should be the avenue for the agenda, policies and priorities of economic effectiveness and efficiency over expediency in utilizing the assets in Bradley Airport and the state’s five smaller airports.