Lamont, Murphy Discuss Protecting Healthcare, Expose How Stefanowski's Reckless Tax Scheme Would Cut Care

Press Release

Would Cut Care

Ned Lamont, Democratic nominee for governor, joined U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and New Haven Mayor Toni Harp this morning to discuss plans to provide higher quality care at a more affordable cost for people, and also seek savings from the healthcare industry.

They also discussed how Stefanowski's tax scheme would create deep cuts to funding for the state's 93 school-based health centers that provide health services to 44,000 children, the Home Care Program for Elders that caters to 4,000 seniors, and the state's Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. If Stefanowski's plan goes into effect, Medicaid would be decimated, and 847,613 Connecticut residents (nearly 1 in 4) would lose their health coverage, including about 275,000 children. The most vulnerable would be the worst off.

Medicaid covers:

One in two Connecticut births.

One in four Americans with an opioid use disorder and 44 percent of Connecticut's buprenorphine expenditure, a medicine used to treat opioid addiction.

22 percent of Connecticut seniors and people with disabilities, including 69 percent of our nursing home population.

40 percent of Connecticut children. Schools depend on Medicaid to connect students with vital health resources -- 68 percent of school superintendents said that they used these funds to keep nurses, counselors and speech therapists on staff.
"If Bob Stefanowski's tax scheme goes into effect, families in Connecticut would lead to devastating cuts to healthcare, and cuts to preventative care would push emergency room visits and other costs onto the taxpayers. Stefanowski would also be a dangerous rubber stamp for President Trump's war against the Affordable Care Act, which would take away federal dollars from Connecticut," Lamont said. "Connecticut has always been at the forefront of healthcare reform. It is more important than ever that the next governor stands up for our middle-class families and against those who want to roll back provisions that make healthcare affordable and accessible, including for those with pre-existing conditions."

In Connecticut, the Affordable Care Act is directly responsible for reducing the state's uninsured rate by 45 percent. Without the ACA, there would be nearly twice as many uninsured residents under the age of 65 in New Haven alone.

Sen. Murphy has led efforts in Washington, D.C. to push back against the Trump administration's heartless attack on the core foundation of the ACA.

"President Trump is actively sabotaging our healthcare system and Connecticut families are the ones who will be hurt. The only way we protect Connecticut consumers from these attacks is by having a united front. Donald Trump wants Bob Stefanowski as governor because he wants a partner in undermining Connecticut's healthcare system. I want a governor who is going to fight back right alongside me to protect healthcare for people in Connecticut, especially people with pre-existing conditions. I know I'm going to get that partnership with Ned," Murphy said.

If elected, Lamont would work to lower the cost of prescription drugs, decrease premiums in the exchange by up to 20 percent through the creation of a state-level reinsurance program that would reduce risk, and reduce the price of healthcare to the state by improving outcomes in Connecticut's Medicaid plan.

Lamont said hospitals have played a significant role in helping to close the state's fiscal deficits. The current arrangement with hospitals benefits the state significantly by using state dollars to get hundreds of millions in federal matching dollars. The proposed cuts under Stefanowski's draconian budget would cause the state to lose all this federal matching money.

"As someone who has spent a career starting up and running small businesses, I know that one of the most important things for the success of my business was to provide the conditions for workers to thrive and grow. That's what we need to do in Connecticut. We need to provide the best possible conditions for people to succeed by making healthcare more affordable and accessible. We must make smart changes that will decrease the amount of money spent on healthcare," Lamont said.

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