Sen. Martin: Helping Community CT Hospitals Requires a Collaborative Approach

Sen. Henri Martin, R-Bristol, today issued the following statement in response to a report from the state’s Office of Health Strategy that analyzes the impact of hospital and health care system consolidation in Connecticut from 2016 through 2021.

“The study confirms what we have known for many years: hospital consolidation in Connecticut has contributed to faster increases in health care costs, negatively impacted competition, and limits access to care. This has especially impacted patients and families who are uninsured, paying high out-of-pocket costs, or living in rural areas. As policymakers, we must put a spotlight on this report and take action. We want our community hospitals – innovative health centers and job creators like Bristol Hospital – to stay independent. We want to help Bristol Hospital to lower health care costs while continuing to offer their vital services. In the state legislature, we are spearheading bipartisan, collaborative work to better regulate hospitals in a common sense way. Doing so will help to slow, and even possibly reverse, the harmful consequences of consolidation.”