Proposed legislation aimed at reducing healthcare costs in Connecticut is facing hurdles as hospitals disagree with the governor's approach on how to do so, according to a March 13 CT Mirror report.
One bone of contention is so-called facility fees hospitals charge at freestanding clinics on top of their regular healthcare services. Gov. Ned Lamont's administration wants to do away with such fees, which generate approximately $412 million for the state's hospitals, the report said.
"This legislation is an unfortunate departure from the spirit of collaboration and cooperation that has been the hallmark of statewide discussions on how to address healthcare affordability," the Connecticut Hospital Association said in unsigned written testimony presented at a March 13 public meeting and referring to certain aspects of House Bill 6669.
Allies of the governor also voiced concerns that any such legislation may not uniquely benefit consumers, according to the report.
"If this bill is just going to make the insurance industry richer, I'm not going to be able to even look at this very seriously myself," said state Sen. Saud Anwar, MD, a practicing physician and co-chair of the state's Public Health Committee.
A summary of the governor's healthcare proposals can be found here.
Total expenses for Connecticut hospitals were $3.5 billion higher than pre-pandemic levels, the Connecticut Hospital Association said in a March 7 report.