More concerns expressed regarding UConn Health Center, Hartford Hospital merger

Hartford Courant, April 2, 2009

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has raised several concerns about the proposal to merge the UConn Health Center and Hartford Hospital. In a letter sent to the co-chairwomen of the legislature's higher education committee, Blumenthal wrote that the proposal would require the state to give up some of its authority, agree to an open-ended financial commitment, and give UConn authority to enter into contracts even if they violate the law. The proposal also seeks to waive most required permitting processes and "constrains any meaningful review of critical licensing" for the new hospital that would be built, Blumenthal wrote.