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Connecticut bar association urges association‑health plans to help small firms; lawmakers hear mixed responses
Summary
The Connecticut Bar Association and other small‑business witnesses told the Insurance and Real Estate Committee that allowing association health plans would expand buying power and lower costs for solo and small law firms. Lawmakers and some business groups pressed for data; insurers urged caution about consumer protections.
Emily Gianquinto, president‑elect of the Connecticut Bar Association, told the Insurance and Real Estate Committee she supports HB 7,079, asking lawmakers to amend the bill to allow trade associations to pool members for purposes of securing group health insurance. “We have approximately 8,000 members…about half are solo practitioners or firms with 15 or fewer employees,” Gianquinto said. “Association health plans have been a legislative priority of the CBA for several years.”
Gianquinto and other witnesses described how small practices face rising premiums and shrinking carrier options on the individual marketplace. She recounted members who had no practical choice of carrier or who left private practice because they couldn’t secure affordable coverage for themselves or employees. “Allowing associations like…
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