IN THE STATES: Connecticut Update

About a month ago we wrote about the health care reform plan passed by the Connecticut legislature. The plan took an unusual form: it would have allowed municipalities, small businesses, and nonprofits to join the state employee health pool and in doing so, save money by utilizing the buying power of the larger risk pool. We say “would have,” because Governor Jodi Rell, vetoed it on Friday, saying its potential costs were too unpredictable. According to the Courant:

A key problem was that the bill was unworkable and lacked details on the costs, Rell said. “Any state law that impacts billions of dollars in costs and liabilities needs to be based on a firmer analytical and actuarial foundation,” she said. “No detailed, independent and comprehensive study of the potential benefits is currently available. Yet, this is exactly the kind of information we really need before moving ahead with this concept.”

The Democrats might push a revised version of the bill in the next legislative session, but for now Connecticut health reform is down for the count.