Rell administration will not challenge national health reform law

At yesterday’s Health Reform Cabinet meeting, the Rell administration announced that they will not join twelve other states in a lawsuit challenging the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. All twelve Republican state senators signed onto a letter urging the state to join the suit. The senators argue that the federal law usurps states’ rights in regulating health care delivery and individual freedoms including the individual mandate. So far the administration has signaled that they will be pursing two opportunities under the new law – the Medicaid early expansion option to bring 43,000 SAGA recipients into Medicaid saving the state over $50 million and another $50 million or more available for CT’s high risk pool to cover people with pre-existing conditions.
Ellen Andrews