Candelora: Healthcare ‘Pooling’ Bill Too Expensive

Connecticut will go into the healthcare insurance business if it opens up its health coverage to thousands of municipal workers and non-profits, and taxpayers will have to pay at least an additional $70 million a year according to State Representative Vincent Candelora (R-86).The so-called “pooling” bill assumes huge insurance risks for Connecticut and taxpayers by opening up the state health care plan to towns and cities and non-profits and private companies. The state would self insure the plan and assume massive risk that has not been reviewed by actuarial experts.

“This is a rather irresponsible risk to be taking with taxpayer money when we are in the kind of economic crisis we are in,” said Rep. Candelora. “We are taking a giant step toward government-controlled healthcare which spends an additional $70 million we don’t have while simultaneously failing to insure a single person who does not have health insurance.”

Candelora noted that the state of Connecticut already offers the most comprehensive and expensive healthcare plan to more than 50,000 state workers and their families and those costs will only go higher.

Candelora added that no other state has ever opened up its healthcare plan to non-profits and small businesses and believes that the bill would cause the state to be subject to additional federal laws and reporting requirements.

The House passed the bill by a vote of 110-36, and will now head to the State Senate for action there.