Sec. 19a-6g. HealthFirst Connecticut Authority. Members. Duties. Report. Application for financial assistance.
Sec. 19a-6g. HealthFirst Connecticut Authority. Members. Duties. Report.
Application for financial assistance. (a) There is established a HealthFirst Connecticut
Authority composed of the following members: Two appointed by the speaker of the
House of Representatives, one of whom is a health care provider and one of whom
represents businesses with fifty or more employees; two appointed by the president pro
tempore of the Senate, one of whom has experience in community-based health care
and one of whom represents businesses with fewer than fifty employees; one appointed
by the majority leader of the House of Representatives who represents consumers; one
appointed by the majority leader of the Senate who represents the interests of labor; one
appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives who represents health
insurance companies; one appointed by the minority leader of the Senate who represents
hospitals; and two appointed by the Governor, one of whom advocates for health care
quality or patient safety and one with experience in information technology. The Insurance Commissioner and the Commissioners of Public Health and Social Services or
their designees, the Healthcare Advocate or the Healthcare Advocate's designee, the
executive director of the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women or the executive director's designee, the executive director of the African-American Affairs Commission or the executive director's designee, the executive director of the Latino and
Puerto Rican Affairs Commission or the executive director's designee and the Comptroller or Comptroller's designee shall be ex-officio, nonvoting members.
(b) All appointments to the HealthFirst Connecticut Authority shall be made not
later than thirty days after July 10, 2007, and any vacancy shall be filled by the appointing
authority not later than thirty days after the vacancy. If an appointing authority fails to
make an appointment within any such thirty-day period, the chairpersons of the
HealthFirst Connecticut Authority shall make such appointment.
(c) The speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro tempore of
the Senate shall each select a chairperson of the HealthFirst Connecticut Authority from
among the members of the authority. Such chairpersons shall schedule the first meeting
of the HealthFirst Connecticut Authority, which shall be held not later than sixty days
after July 10, 2007.
(d) All members appointed to the authority shall be familiar with the criteria of the
Institute of Medicine of the National Academies Principles for Healthcare Reform and
shall be committed to making recommendations about health care reform for the state
of Connecticut that are consistent with said criteria.
(e) The HealthFirst Connecticut Authority shall:
(1) Examine and evaluate policy alternatives for providing quality, affordable and
sustainable health care for all individuals residing in this state, including, but not limited
to, a state-wide single payer health care system and employer-sponsored health plans.
(2) Make recommendations for mechanisms to contain the cost and improve the
quality of health care in this state, including, but not limited to: Health information
technology; disease management and other initiatives to coordinate and improve the
quality of care for people with chronic diseases; monitoring and reporting about the
costs, quality and utilization of care, including assessment of consumer and provider
satisfaction; and measures to encourage or require the provision of health care coverage
to certain groups through participation in an insurance pool.
(3) Make recommendations regarding the financing of quality, affordable health
care coverage for individuals residing in this state, including the maximization of federal
funds to provide subsidies for health care, contributions from employers, employees
and individuals and methods for financing the state's share of the cost of such coverage.
(4) Not later than December 1, 2008, report on its findings and recommendations
with respect to such policy alternatives to the joint standing committees of the General
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health, social services and
insurance, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a. Such report shall include
recommended strategies for increasing access to health care for all of Connecticut's
residents.
(f) The HealthFirst Connecticut Authority may apply for grants or financial assistance from any person, group of persons or corporation or from any agency of the state
or of the United States.
(P.A. 07-185, S. 30; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-2, S. 67; P.A. 08-184, S. 18.)
History: P.A. 07-185 effective July 10, 2007 (Revisor's note: A reference in Subsec. (d) to "Principals for Healthcare
Reform" was changed editorially by the Revisors to "Principles for Healthcare Reform" for consistency with Sec. 19a-6h(d)); June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-2 amended Subsec. (a) to add Insurance Commissioner and Healthcare Advocate, or their
designees, as ex-officio, nonvoting members of HealthFirst Connecticut Authority, effective June 26, 2007; P.A. 08-184
amended Subsec. (a) by adding executive directors of Permanent Commission on the Status of Women, African-American
Affairs Commission and Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission, or their designees, as ex-officio nonvoting members
of the authority, effective June 12, 2008.