David Krechevsky

Bloomfield-based health insurance company The Cigna Group on Thursday announced four leadership changes, including a new president and chief operating officer, while also affirming its 2025 financial outlook. The leadership changes include:

The state legislature’s Human Services Committee on Thursday will consider approving a bill that would prohibit future private equity of ownership of hospitals or nursing homes in order to receive Medicaid reimbursement.  Senate Bill 1480 was submitted by Senate Pro-Tem Martin Looney (D-New Haven) and is on the agenda for approval by the committee during its meeting on Thursday.

As Hartford HealthCare (HHC) continues to expand its urgent care footprint across the state, it will open three new facilities on Wednesday. With the new locations in Middletown, Torrington and Waterbury, HHC now has 39 GoHeatlh Urgent Care centers statewide. The newest facilities are located at 752 Washington St., in Middletown; 112 South Main St., in Torrington; and 174 Chase Ave. in Waterbury. 

Lawmakers on Tuesday heard testimony on a bill that would revise state statues to allow the state Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) to sell Connecticut-branded merchandise, as well as to require businesses receiving state aid to remain in the state. The state legislature’s Commerce Committee held a public hearing on several bills, including House Bill 7165, which revises several state  commerce statutes.

James E. Shmerling, president and CEO of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center (CCMC) in Hartford, plans to retire at the end of the year after a decade at the helm, officials announced Friday.

Middletown-based Community Health Center Inc. (CHC) is the target of more than a half dozen separate federal lawsuits following a data breach that affected the personal information of more than 1 million patients and employees. The individual lawsuits were filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut between Feb. 5 and 13, and each seeks class action status.

Hartford HealthCare (HHC) and UnitedHealthcare (UHC) continue to negotiate a new three-year agreement as their existing contract is set to expire next month. In a post on its website, HHC said the current contract with UHC expires at midnight on March 31, “unless the parties agree on a new contract before then.” HHC, which operates Hartford Hospital, is Connecticut’s second-largest health system. The organization said it is working to reach a new agreement “so United members will continue to receive care at Hartford HealthCare on an in-network basis.”

With the use of artificial intelligence (AI) growing in all aspects of the public’s life, the state legislature’s General Law Committee is holding a public hearing Wednesday on a bill to both regulate and promote the development of AI systems. “An Act Concerning Artificial Intelligence” is Senate Bill 2. The low number reflects the importance placed on it by legislative leaders.

When Gov. Ned Lamont addressed BioCT’s 2025 legislative breakfast on Jan. 27 in New Haven, his keynote address included a surprise. While praising the bioscience sector as one of the state’s strengths, Lamont said his proposed two-year budget — set to be released nine days later — would include a revision to the state’s research and development (R&D) tax credit.

Hartford HealthCare (HHC) announced Friday it plans to launch a new virtual health platform in April. Called HHC 24/7, the service will launch on April 1 and is being developed in partnership with K Health, a New York-based telehealth company that provides consultations with doctors via a mobile app. HHC said the service, which is integrated with artificial intelligence (AI), will bring primary care to patients “anytime and anywhere.”