On the eve of a monumental U.S. Supreme Court ruling, New Haven State Rep. Pat Dillon was running for reelection — and detailing some of the work she’d like to do if Connecticut needs to pick up the pieces of a fractured health reform law.
Dillon spoke at a fundraiser Sunday afternoon for her campaign for a 15th two-year term representing the 92nd State General Assembly District, which covers much of New Haven’s Westville and Edgewood neighborhoods.
During her 28 years at the Capitol Dillon has focused particular attention on health care. She might be called to do so again in an upcoming session (at this point she has neither primary nor general election opponent) if the U.S. Supreme Court this coming week (either Monday or Friday) strikes down some or all of President Obama’s health reform law.
In particular, Connecticut will suddenly lose promised federal money to enable another estimated 130,000 adults to get health coverage under Medicaid. Individuals will no longer face a requirement (“mandate”) that they buy health insurance, in order to pay for some of the reform law’s new coverage. Two other potentially endangered new rules: that insurance companies no longer deny coverage to people with preexisting conditions; and that they allow people 26 or younger to remain on their parents’ plans.
Paul Bass Photo
Waterman, Jack Paulishen, and David Sepulveda shcmooze at Dillon’s garden party fundraiser.
“If they strike down the whole law,” Dillon said in between greeting visitors to the fecund garden of Westville artist Gar Waterman and neighborhood activist Thea Buxbaum, “are they gonna turn around and tell families: ‘You’re not covered’?”
If the court does strike down the law, Dillon said, she’d like to see the legislature reinstitute the mandate. She argued that’s fair to companies that now “do the right thing” by offering ample insurance to employees but then suffer in the marketplace when other companies don’t fork out that money. (Click on the play arrowto watch her discuss that question.)
She’d also like to see the legislature find ways to insure the people who’d lose their new insurance lifelines if Obamacare gets struck down, she said, including young adults on their families’ plans and, especially, women over 50 who disproportionately end up uninsured or underinsured because of divorce, preexisting conditions, gender discrimination in insurance coverage, among other reasons.
Connecticut probably won’t have the leverage Massachusetts had in passing a universal coverage law, Dillon said. Then‑U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy was able to secure federal money to cover much of the new cost in that state.
“I think we have to find our own way,” she said.
Health care was also on the minds of two other candidates seeking support in New Haven a day earlier.
Nicolás Medina Mora Photo
The candidates — U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy and former Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, who are facing off in a Democratic primary for an open U.S. Senate seat — schmoozed with pols and ate hot dogs and barbecued ribs at a cook-out organized in an Ella Grasso Boulevard backyard by Audrey Tyson (at right in photo), co-chair of the Ward 29 Democratic Committee.
“Most uninsured people in Connecticut work for small businesses,” said Susan Bysiewicz (at right in photo). “I think the key is to make sure that small business can access federal and state insurance.”
She added that the way forward is to switch the focus from what she called “insurance reform” to true health care reform — which should pay more attention to prevention and to cutting the costs of medicine.
Chris Murphy arrived late, which spared both candidates an awkward handshake.
“It would be a tragedy [if the court declares the bill unconstitutional],” said Murphy (at right in photo). “But I’ll make sure that health care stays an issue, unlike some other Democrats who seem ready to let it go. I’ve staked my career on health care, and I’m not going to let my constituents not get the health care they need.”
Asked for specifics, both candidates insisted that they can’t take a nuanced position until they know which if any of the bill’s provisions are declared unconstitutional.
Fellow Hispanic Caucus members Gerry Garcia and Tomás Reyes enjoy the BBQ ribs.
Mayor John DeStefano popped in for a quick visit wearing sunglasses and shorts, but didn’t stay for Chris Murphy, who arrived later than Bysiewicz. When asked if he had an endorsement to make, he pointed to former Alderman Gerry Garcia.
“Him!” he said. “This guy here.”
So, let me make sure I understand this correctly. If SCOTUS rules against the mandate Ms. Dillon wants CT's legislature to reinstitute it? Really? A Supreme Court decision? CT's lawmakers should instead concentrate on the biggest threat to our cities, that being the youth violence and murders. Until they make a concentrated effort towards that goal we have no hope. New Haven, Bridgeport, Hartford etc., will be the new East St Louis and Detroit. We may already be there. What good is statewide health reform when there are no industries to provide jobs, no police policy that is working, a general disdain towards taxpayers who have no voice anymore and owners of city properties, residential and business, who are looking for ways to get out of Dodge? Quickly.
To Ms. Dillon: I'm an adult, I can make my own decisions. I don't need a nanny over my shoulder telling me how to protect myself and family. Or what health decisions I should make. Now I may not be the smartest, but it seems a whole lot more sane to me to drink a 32 ounce cola if I so desire, than it does providing automatic weapons to drug cartels. But, what do I know? The government obviously has my best interests at heart, right?
And one more point. Not denying coverage to pre-existing conditions? Coverage under parent's until age 26? Please tell, who pays for this? Insurance is a business, like it or not. If they're driven away from covering people by inane federal law then nobody wins.