Governor Rell has protected special interests' profits by vetoing the landmark Connecticut Healthcare Partnership "pooling" bill passed by legislature

HARTFORD—In a setback for Connecticut taxpayers and local towns and school districts, Governor M. Jodi Rell today vetoed healthcare reform legislation passed by lawmakers in the General Assembly's 2008 session. Public service workers are disappointed she has sided with the special interests who ran a deceptive, misleading public relations campaign to pressure her to kill the Connecticut Healthcare Partnership, the bill that would allow municipal and small business employees to voluntarily join the State health plan's "pool."

"For the Governor to say 'no' to 'pooling' shows she bought the negative hype from the Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA) and Anthem" CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 President Mike O'Brien said. "She should have seen through their threats to raise rates. The larger the risk 'pool' of insured lives, the lower the rates" he continued. "In reality, they wanted to protect their profits by insuring smaller groups at higher rates" O'Brien, an engineer with the State's Department of Environmental Protection, concluded.

CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 members have advocated "pooling" Connecticut's municipal, school district, and other public employees into the State health plan since the economic recession of 1991. Members applauded the latest initiative when it was proposed by lawmakers last fall as a voluntary plan and expanded to include small business owners and non-profit service providers.

"The Governor has basically said that workers like me don't deserve access to the same healthcare she has" school bus driver Ruby Reilly said. "I can't afford the insurance plan the local Board of Ed offers" she continued. "Believe me, a good plan that costs less is the kind of choice working families like mine need right now" Reilly, the president of the union's chapter representing Plainfield Public Schools' bus drivers, concluded.

The State House of Representatives passed the Connecticut Healthcare Partnership in late April by an overwhelming vote of 102-43. The State Senate approved the bill two weeks later in a 22-12 vote. The legislation provided municipalities, non-profits and small businesses access to quality healthcare coverage at a lower cost, and promised to save millions that could have offset property tax increases and local public service cuts.

CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 represents 25,000 active and retired public sector workers serving in state and municipal agencies, as well as local school boards across Connecticut. The union's membership also includes workers with non-profit organizations and private companies contracted to provide public services through state, and local government agencies. Visit www.seiu2001.org online for more information on the working families' issues its members advocate.