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February 22, 2021 OTHER VOICES

More affordable health insurance? CT Senate Republicans have a plan

Photo | PIxabay
By Kevin Kelly, Paul Formica and Tony Hwang

For middle class Connecticut families, health insurance is anything but affordable.

Kevin Kelly

In fact, premiums are often the size of a monthly mortgage payment.

Those lofty bills weigh down family budgets and eat into savings, leaving Connecticut's middle class struggling to make ends meet.

Connecticut Senate Republicans are working to ease burdens on middle class families, and we are offering thoughtful, comprehensive solutions to this unaffordability problem.

Our plan would reduce health insurance premiums by up to 20%. We set-up a process to reduce all healthcare costs by better management of the growing costs of health care. We accomplish that by using best practices from Massachusetts, which have already saved people in the Bay State billions of dollars.

The governor agrees with our idea: He has begun implementing it with an executive order, because Democrat legislators refused to advance it in the legislature.

We would also reduce prescription drug costs through establishing a framework to reimport drugs from Canada.

Last year, we proposed legislation to investigate disparities in the health system so we can deliver on health equity for all people no matter gender, race or background. We have proposed it again this year.

We would also require audits of the “Cadillac” health plans offered by the state, which are back-stopped by the Connecticut taxpayer.

Sound appealing? It gets even better.

Paul Formica

Connecticut Senate Republicans can accomplish this without raising taxes on middle class families, and our ideas will not threaten the tens of thousands of quality private-sector insurance jobs in our state.

Our Senate Republican ideas focus on a core issue in our state: the affordability and accessibility of health care. At the same time, we understand how important our insurance industry is to our economy. After all, we are known as the "Insurance Capital of the World," and we want Connecticut to stay that way.

We are confident our vision will receive bipartisan support at the state Capitol, and we appreciate the encouraging comments we have received thus far. In fact, a 2019 report from the actuarial consulting firm Wakely agrees that our plan is best to lower premiums.

By contrast, Connecticut Democrats are pushing a national partisan concept, which fails to reduce healthcare costs while putting the state of Connecticut in direct competition with one of our main job sources: the insurance industry.

Majority Democrats' government-run healthcare plan begs some crucial questions.

First, why would Connecticut Democrats put jobs in jeopardy at a time when our state is already dead last in the nation on jobs and income growth? Connecticut private-sector employment fell by 1,000 jobs in December and is lower by 84,200 from a year earlier. We should be seeking ways to reverse this troubling trend, not make it worse.

Second, why do Connecticut Democrats' solutions always focus on middle class taxpayers' wallets while seeking to grow government?

The Connecticut Senate Republican solution can make Connecticut more affordable for middle class families while supporting good-paying jobs. It is a common sense, pro-family, pro-jobs, and pro-middle class path.

Tony Hwang

Senate Republican Leader Kevin Kelly (21st District), Senate Republican Leader Pro Tempore Paul Formica (20th District) and Sen. Tony Hwang (28th District) co-wrote this op-ed.

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