2019 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 19a - Public Health and Well-Being
Chapter 368cc - Health Care Cabinet
Section 19a-725 - Health Care Cabinet: Membership; terms; duties.

(a) There is established within the office of the Lieutenant Governor, the Health Care Cabinet for the purpose of advising the Governor on the matters set forth in subsection (c) of this section.

(b) (1) The Health Care Cabinet shall consist of the following members who shall be appointed on or before August 1, 2011: (A) Five appointed by the Governor, two of whom may represent the health care industry and shall serve for terms of four years, one of whom shall represent community health centers and shall serve for a term of three years, one of whom shall represent insurance producers and shall serve for a term of three years and one of whom shall be an at-large appointment and shall serve for a term of three years; (B) one appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, who shall be an oral health specialist engaged in active practice and shall serve for a term of four years; (C) one appointed by the majority leader of the Senate, who shall represent labor and shall serve for a term of three years; (D) one appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, who shall be an advanced practice registered nurse engaged in active practice and shall serve for a term of two years; (E) one appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, who shall be a consumer advocate and shall serve for a term of four years; (F) one appointed by the majority leader of the House of Representatives, who shall be a primary care physician engaged in active practice and shall serve for a term of four years; (G) one appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives, who shall represent the health information technology industry and shall serve for a term of three years; (H) five appointed jointly by the chairpersons of the SustiNet Health Partnership board of directors, one of whom shall represent faith communities, one of whom shall represent small businesses, one of whom shall represent the home health care industry, one of whom shall represent hospitals, and one of whom shall be an at-large appointment, all of whom shall serve for terms of five years; (I) the Lieutenant Governor; (J) the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, or the secretary’s designee; the Comptroller, or the Comptroller’s designee; the chief executive officer of the Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange, or said officer’s designee; the Commissioners of Social Services and Public Health, or their designees; and the Healthcare Advocate, or the Healthcare Advocate’s designee, all of whom shall serve as ex-officio voting members; and (K) the Commissioners of Children and Families, Developmental Services and Mental Health and Addiction Services, and the Insurance Commissioner, or their designees, and the nonprofit liaison to the Governor, or the nonprofit liaison’s designee, all of whom shall serve as ex-officio nonvoting members.

(2) Following the expiration of initial cabinet member terms, subsequent cabinet terms shall be for four years, commencing on August first of the year of the appointment. If an appointing authority fails to make an initial appointment to the cabinet or an appointment to fill a cabinet vacancy within ninety days of the date of such vacancy, the appointed cabinet members shall, by majority vote, make such appointment to the cabinet.

(3) Upon the expiration of the initial terms of the five cabinet members appointed by SustiNet Health Partnership board of directors, five successor cabinet members shall be appointed as follows: (A) One appointed by the Governor; (B) one appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate; (C) one appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives; and (D) two appointed by majority vote of the appointed board members. Successor board members appointed pursuant to this subdivision shall be at-large appointments.

(4) The Lieutenant Governor shall serve as the chairperson of the Health Care Cabinet.

(c) The Health Care Cabinet shall advise the Governor regarding the development of an integrated health care system for Connecticut and shall:

(1) Evaluate the means of ensuring an adequate health care workforce in the state;

(2) Jointly evaluate, with the chief executive officer of the Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange, the feasibility of implementing a basic health program option as set forth in Section 1331 of the Affordable Care Act;

(3) Identify short and long-range opportunities, issues and gaps created by the enactment of federal health care reform;

(4) Review the effectiveness of delivery system reforms and other efforts to control health care costs, including, but not limited to, reforms and efforts implemented by state agencies; and

(5) Advise the Governor on matters relating to: (A) The design, implementation, actionable objectives and evaluation of state and federal health care policies, priorities and objectives relating to the state’s efforts to improve access to health care, (B) the quality of such care and the affordability and sustainability of the state’s health care system, and (C) total state-wide health care spending, including methods to collect, analyze and report health care spending data.

(d) The Health Care Cabinet may convene working groups, which include volunteer health care experts, to make recommendations concerning the development and implementation of service delivery and health care provider payment reforms, including multipayer initiatives, medical homes, electronic health records and evidenced-based health care quality improvement.

(e) The office of the Lieutenant Governor and the Office of the Healthcare Advocate shall provide support staff to the Health Care Cabinet.

(P.A. 11-58, S. 14; P.A. 13-247, S. 145; P.A. 15-146, S. 18; P.A. 17-151, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 11-58 effective July 2, 2011; P.A. 13-247 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting reference to Office of Health Reform and Innovation, amended Subsec. (b)(1)(J) by replacing Special Advisor to the Governor on Healthcare Reform with chief executive officer of the Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange or a designee as member of SustiNet Health Care Cabinet, amended Subsec. (c) by deleting reference to Office of Health Reform and Innovation, deleting former Subdiv. (5) re business plan development by Office of Health Reform and Innovation and redesignating existing Subdiv. (6) as Subdiv. (5), and added Subsec. (e) re support staff for cabinet, effective June 19, 2013; P.A. 15-146 deleted “SustiNet” re Health Care Cabinet and, in Subsec. (b)(4), deleted provision re first meeting, effective July 1, 2015; P.A. 17-151 amended Subsec. (c)(5) by adding Subpara. (C) re total state-wide health care spending.