HARTFORD—House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora (R-North Branford), State Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria (R-Seymour), House Ranking Member of the Public Health Committee, and State Rep. Devin Carney (R-Old Saybrook), House Ranking Member of the Government Oversight Committee, released the following statement Thursday in response to an Auditors of Public Accounts report on the Office of Health Strategy:

"Healthcare is among the most complex policy challenges facing Connecticut—affecting costs, access, and quality for residents and employers alike. This audit reveals serious management failures at the Office of Health Strategy, particularly the inadequate oversight of millions of dollars in vendor contracts. When you consider the critical state of Connecticut's hospital network and the agency's broad responsibility for healthcare planning and cost containment, these findings should serve as a red alert. Going forward, the Governor needs to assess whether OHS has the capacity and leadership to fulfill its mission. Here's the reality: Democrats talk endlessly about healthcare reform, and Governor Lamont makes ambitious promises about bringing down costs and improving access, but this audit makes clear that reforms will never materialize when the very agency charged with implementing them can't manage basic contract oversight. Three of these four findings are repeat violations. Until the governor acknowledges this failure and charts a new course for OHS, all the rhetoric about healthcare transformation is just an empty promise to Connecticut families and businesses counting on real change."