In March, the legislature approved raises for 8,500 unionized personal care assistants through the state’s Medicaid waiver program, but the wage increase leaves private home care agencies struggling to compete — not only for clients but for employees.
Republican Senate President Len Fasano of North Haven, sent a letter to UConn President Susan Herbst and UConn Health Center CEO Andrew Agwunobi blasting the university health center for its “blatant misuse of taxpayer dollars.”
UConn Health Center Chief Executive Officer Andrew Agwunobi approved salary increases for UConn employees who approved a $563,000 contract with a consulting company Agwunobi worked for, according to state auditors.
Connecticut’s proposed family medical leave program would cover employees who wish to visit their “third cousin, once removed that had some kind of family medical issue,” according to an exchange between Representatives Christopher Davis, R-Ellington, and Jason Rojas, D-East Hartford at a Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee meeting last week.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Connecticut Department of Public Health sent out an email marked “high” importance, encouraging organizations to testify before the Labor Committee on Thursday in support of a paid family medical leave bill. The email sent from DPH raises concerns regarding the agency’s use of state time and resources in pushing for legislation that many business leaders and organizations say will ultimately hurt their ability to hire employees.
The agreement negotiated between Gov. Dannel Malloy and government union leaders contains a provision that would provide healthcare for retired state employees through Medicare Advantage. But the inclusion of the Medicare Advantage switch in the deal with government unions may hamper future lawmakers’ ability to make administrative changes to the way Connecticut handles retiree healthcare.