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Connecticut Municipalities Tackling Pension Costs

Excerpt: A new retirement plan approved by the [town of West Hartford's] smallest union sets a precedent that local officials hope other unions can accept in an effort to trim spiraling pension costs.

Connecticut Governor Will Veto Retirement Security Bill as It Now Stands

"[Connecticut] Gov. Dannel P. Malloy ... intends to veto a controversial bill that would create a retirement savings program for private sector workers unless the legislation is changed in an upcoming special session of the General Assembly.... As passed, the bill gives the authority to hire a single vendor to manage the retirement fund ... the [governor's office] has expressed concern about the impact of that provision on both consumer choice and the state's financial services industry."

Connecticut Funded/Unfunded Split of Pension System Would Be First in Nation

"Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has proposed splitting the pensions into an essentially unfunded system for state employees hired before 1984 and then a separate fund for those hired after 1984.... Alicia Munnell, a professor and the director of the [Boston College] Center for Retirement Research, said there should be no concerns that Connecticut would be the first to try such a split."

U.S. Appeals Court Refuses to Block Lower Court Order Preventing UnitedHealthcare from Dropping Doctors from Its Medicare Advantage Plans

"A federal appeals court on Thursday refused to issue an interim stay in the UnitedHealthcare case and has referred the matter to a three-judge panel. The case focuses on a plan by the nation's largest health insurer to cut thousands of Connecticut doctors from its Medicare Advantage network on Feb. 1. On Dec. 5, a U.S. District judge in Bridgeport issued a preliminary injunction that halted the cuts for members of two doctor associations that took UnitedHealthcare to court. The insurer appealed to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York and asked for an 'emergency' stay of the lower-court order -- and an 'interim' stay until that request is decided. The appeals court Thursday referred the request for the emergency stay to the three-judge panel and denied the interim stay."

UnitedHealthcare Drops Doctors; Medicare Advantage Patients Left in Lurch

"Last month, just as Medicare's open enrollment period was set to begin, UnitedHealthcare dropped thousands of physicians nation-wide ... from its Medicare Advantage programs without an explanation. Who are these physicians and why were they dismissed from United's Medicare Advantage plans en masse without being dropped from any of United's commercial programs? Company executives remain notably tight-lipped despite public inquiries from physicians, newspapers and lawmakers.... Based on the information available, it is clear that the company's end goal is to unload its sickest, costliest patients."

Doctors, Patients Scramble to Determine Effects of UnitedHealthcare Cutting Doctor Network

"UnitedHealthcare plans to eliminate 810 primary-care physicians and 1,440 specialists from its Medicare Advantage network in Connecticut next year ... A UnitedHealthcare executive denied that the insurer was targeting doctors who are most expensive to the system."

Connecticut State Pension Payments Exceed IRS Limits by Tens of Thousands

Over the past decade or so, the state has apparently paid a small group of elite pension recipients hundreds of thousands of dollars more than the federal Internal Revenue Service allows under its rules for public employee pension plans.

Fight Your Health Plan: Appealing a Denial Can Yield Victory

Excerpt: Pursuing an appeal is not always easy, but, as the lottery commercials say, you can't win if you don't play. The key is to overcome inertia and suspend cynicism about insurance to file an appeal, and there's help available from the state and other advocates.

Connecticut Legislative Committee Clears Two Differing Approaches to Health Care Reform

Excerpt: A bill to create a single health insurer in Connecticut - an anathema to the industry - won half-hearted approval Tuesday from a legislative panel, which also passed a reform bill the industry favors. The Insurance and Real Estate Committee, in a 12-7 vote, approved a bill aimed at creating a 'single-payer' system to ensure coverage for all Connecticut residents not on Medicare.