April 7, 2009
MONTVILLE AREA LEGISLATORS AND SMALL BUSINESS
OWNERS WORK TO REDUCE HEALTH CARE COSTS
State Representatives Betsy Ritter (D-Waterford and Montville), Tom Reynolds (D-Ledyard and Montville), Kevin Ryan (D-Bozrah, Franklin, Lebanon and Montville) and State Senator Edith G. Prague (D-Columbia), participated in a roundtable discussion at the Montville Town Hall on Tuesday with Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz and area small business owners to discuss business-friendly health care policies that will help local companies thrive.
"The proposed healthcare partnership can offer real savings to participants and in this climate every penny counts," Rep. Ritter stated. "Businesses can lower costs without sacrificing healthcare benefits to their employees and finally moves Connecticut towards more universal access to healthcare."
The legislation will open the state employee health insurance plan to small businesses, non-profits and municipal employees. It is estimated that small businesses could save thousands of dollars annually in employee health care costs by joining the plan. There are currently more than 200,000 people in the state insurance pool.
"Skyrocketing health care costs are crippling small businesses, we need to act now to lower their costs," said Rep. Ryan. "Bulk purchasing of health care is key to lowering costs and expanding access to quality comprehensive plans."
Rep. Reynolds remarked, "If the choice of joining into this health care pool and lowering operating expenses helps a small employer keep even one extra person on the payroll, it will have a positive effect on our community. This is a resourceful way of stretching the dollar, helping small businesses, and providing affordable, quality health care to workers in our state."
"While most of us are rightly preoccupied with the economic health of our state and its residents we must continue working toward improved access to high quality, affordable, physical healthcare because there is an undeniable and direct link between the two," Senator Prague said. "The state has responsibility to care for those who are ill and unable to care for themselves; our investment to provide health insurance and preventative care will reduce the cost of hospital care and shrink a huge portion of our state budget that has been characterized by staggering inflation."
Tom Sullivan, Executive Director of the ARC of New London County said that if his agency had access to the state health plan, it would be able to offer its employees a more attractive benefits package.
"This plan would help us with employee retention. We would be able to offer a policy that encourages healthy lifestyles and allows our employees to go to the doctors of their choice," he said.