Hartford Hospital CEO Elliot Joseph Is Furious.
A call for a special legislative session to address Medicaid cuts. Hartford Hospital President and CEO Elliot Joseph’s letter to the useless Connecticut Hospital Association must have been a scorcher.
Here’s his angry letter to hospital corporators.
| To Hartford Hospital Corporators: |
| Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s decision to slash Medicaid payments once again will hurt patients and the state’s economy. In all, Hartford HealthCare stands to lose an additional $41 million—all through the stroke of the governor’s pen on a Friday afternoon, without any consultation, discussion or vote.
The sudden and unexpected nature of this latest cut speaks to the absolutely reckless fiscal policy of Connecticut—a state that chooses to treat hospitals as drains rather than drivers of our state’s still struggling economy. The state budget that lawmakers fought over and enacted just three months ago has suddenly been found insufficient by the governor. The cuts have fallen precisely on the very same Medicaid funding that was partially restored in budget negotiations in recognition of our struggling hospitals throughout the state. Friday’s cut brings to $129 million the cumulative amount that HHC has lost in anticipated state funding over just five years. This relentless environment makes it increasingly difficult for us to continue making investments in programs and services that enhance access to quality care. In the end, everyone loses—the people we serve, the people we employ and the economy of our state. We are calling on our state legislators to convene a special session of the General Assembly to review this decision and restore the funding. Please join us in speaking out. You may use this link to contact your legislator:https://votervoice.net/hhc/campaigns.
Sincerely, Elliot Joseph |