Candelora statement on Democrats' push for healthcare reform

HARTFORD -- State Rep. Vincent Candelora on Thursday issued the following statement after legislative Democrats and Comptroller Kevin Lembo announced that they intend to pursue their version of healthcare reform during the coming legislative session. "I appreciate Democrats' passion in pursuing affordable healthcare—I believe it's a goal shared by everyone serving in the legislature. Unfortunately, they've been campaigning for 20 years on the promise of doing something about it but have instead continued to implement more taxes, more consumer paid assessments, and more regulations that have driven premiums upward. I look forward to learning more about their unwritten proposal and independent analyses as they take shape. I am mindful that whatever new taxpayer-funded program they want, it will threaten thousands of jobs in the insurance industry and harm the pandemic recovery we all hope for. Considering the latest projection of a $25 million deficiency in the state employee health account and the historical insolvency of the CT Partnership Plan, I’m particularly concerned about another long-term broken promise. The Democrats should instead finish what they started. The state needs to first deliver on promises they’ve already made into the state-run paid family leave program before taking on new and extremely complex challenges such as this."