Lawmakers rally for DeStefano's universal health care plan

May 18, 2006

New Haven: One day before the Democratic convention, a coalition of lawmakers from across Connecticut stood with John DeStefano to announce they are endorsing his universal health care plan, Connecticut CAN! (Cover All Now). The news conference took place just minutes before DeStefano presented his health care plan to Health Care for All, a non-profit group dedicated to expanding access to health care for all residents.

The group of lawmakers endorsing DeStefano's plan included State Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney, State Sen. Jonathan Harris, State Rep. Denise Merrill, State Rep. Henry Genga, State Rep. Roberta Willis, and State Rep. John Geragosian. "This campaign is about providing voters a real choice in November and I am the only candidate to have a universal health care plan," said DeStefano. "I believe government can bring people together to solve tough problems; I've done this in New Haven. Connecticut has a health care crisis and we need a governor who not only understands this, but who will work with the legislature to enact universal health care."

Denise Merrill - who represents Mansfield and Chaplin - said "I applaud John DeStefano for showing leadership on health care. At last! What I like best about the plan that Mayor DeStefano has put forward is that it unties health care from employment and yet provides access for every family. As Chair of the state's budget writing committee, I know that we cannot sustain the cost of health care in its current form. The state will simply be unable to balance its budget with the current inefficient and unfair system of care we provide now. Further delay continues to exacerbate this most pressing problem. We have waited long enough."

State Rep. John Geragosian, of New Britain, said, "As a member of the Insurance Committee, I've fought for universal health care for all the people of Connecticut. The biggest obstacle to universal healthcare has been Jodi Rell and her Republican friends who fight for big insurance and drug companies. Finally, we have a leader in John DeStefano who has a plan to cover everyone and the courage to take on the powerful special interests to get it done. This state is starving for a leader like John DeStefano."

State Rep. Henry Genga, of East Hartford, said Democrats "are a party that cares for all - young and old. We know health care is so important to everyone and we want to provide it to the less fortunate."

Mayor John DeStefano believes that every family, every employee, every child and every business should have access to health care that is affordable, portable and that meets the following set of principles:

Principles of Universal Coverage under Connecticut Cover All Now!


Shared Responsibility. John DeStefano believes that to achieve universal coverage we are all in it together. That means individuals; employers and elected officials need to be responsible for achieving affordable health care coverage for everyone. The DeStefano plan does that: Individuals will pay a portion of their health care coverage, employers will receive generous tax incentives when they provide health care coverage and lose them when they do not, and elected officials who receive a generous health care plan themselves will need to support assistance to low-income workers and small business so they can achieve the same level of coverage as elected officials.

Affordability. The challenge facing many families in Connecticut is they either have lost their health care or fear losing it. One of the main reasons is affordability. The DeStefano plan targets small businesses, self-employed workers, part-time workers and laid of workers - in other words, those people who are the most vulnerable to losing their health care coverage. The combination of creating a Connecticut Healthcare Consortium and reforming the corporate income tax code will provide affordable health care coverage for everyone.

Portability. John DeStefano believes that as family members move from one job to the next or in and out of the workforce they should be able to maintain access to their health plan. Creating the Connecticut Health Care Consortium will allow individuals to have the best portable health care plan in the country.

Choice. Individuals should have the choice of several health care plans. The Connecticut Health Care Consortium will offer several choices so that families can decide on what works best for them.

Mandates. John DeStefano believes all of the health plans offered through the Connecticut Health Care Consortium should cover every state-legislated health mandate, whether with regard to mental health services, substance abuse treatment, hearing aids, diabetic supplies or women's health issues, such as prescription contraceptives, cervical cancer screening and mastectomy hospital stays.