Kelly, Hwang Slam “Tone Deaf” Double-Digit CT Health Insurance Rate Hike Approval

September 2, 2022

For Immediate Release:

Kelly, Hwang Slam “Tone Deaf” Double-Digit CT Health Insurance Rate Hike Approval

Senate Republican Leader Kevin Kelly (R-Stratford) and Senator Tony Hwang (R-Fairfield), ranking member of the Insurance Committee, released the following statement in response to the Connecticut Insurance Department’s pre-Labor Day weekend approval of double-digit health insurance rate hike requests for individual and small business health insurance plans that start in 2023:

“The Lamont administration’s approval of these staggering rate hikes is infuriating. It’s also tone deaf to thousands of Connecticut ratepayers whose family budgets are already getting crushed by inflation.

“It is obvious why the Lamont administration is dumping this bad news just prior to the Labor Day weekend. They want the public to not notice.

“Equally as frustrating is the fact that CT Republicans have offered solutions to prevent these unaffordable rate hikes from becoming today’s reality. We have offered solutions that Democrats repeatedly rejected.

“This year, Senate Republicans once again proposed a plan to rein in out-of-control health care costs. Access Health CT’s own estimates show our plan reduces premiums by $6,475 per year, or $540 per month for the average family. But leading Democrats on the state’s Insurance Committee refused to even hold a vote on that plan. In fact, they outright admit to blocking this plan for affordable healthcare.

“Even with the new additional federal bailout money, CT residents are still facing staggering increases. It’s unacceptable. Taking a ‘wait and see’ approach and waiting for dysfunctional Washington to act doesn’t serve CT residents well. Democrats passed the Affordable Care Act promising affordable, accessible, quality health care. Here we are a decade later and that promise has never been fulfilled.”