What is the Last Minute at the Legislature?

State Comptroller Kevin Lembo is not pleased. Lembo complained to The Hartford Courant that health insurance giant CIGNA threatened to leave Connecticut if state government went into competition against it. CIGNA denies making the threat.

Lembo waited until late last week to unveil his plan to expand state government’s role in providing health insurance in a state struggling to maintain and expand its reputation as an insurance center. He complained to The Courant that CIGNA asked for a variety of last minute changes. Time keepers in the legislature thought that Lembo waited until the last minute to unveil his complex proposal.

Revealing a major piece of legislation late in the legislation comes with risks and rewards. Opponents and careful examiners of the bill may not have enough time to mount an effective opposition but they can assert the argument that it’s unfair to proceed with so little time left in the legislature. They may also warn legislators that they may not understand the consequences of that is before them. Proponents of a complex bill may use the ticking clock to avoid scrutiny while quickly building momentum for a proposal that sounds good but may have unknown consequences.

In this case, the public option proposal seeks to convince legislators that of hundreds of thousands of people working in the health insurance business, Lembo is the one who knows how to lower its cost. And he’s right here in Connecticut! The Lamont administration (and at least one person close to it) decided to take the risk of backing a complex proposal it helped to shape as the legislature nears the end of its regular session with a budget yet to be adopted. It was a risky strategy, though the proposal cannot be considered dead until midnight next Wednesday as Lembo may not yet be ready to return to the sidelines.