Gov. Malloy said executive-level compensation at hospitals is spiraling out of control.
The Connecticut Hospital Association launched a new digital campaign this week decrying Governor Dannel Malloy's proposed cuts to hospitals.
The millions of dollars in reductions are part of a plan to address the state's nagging budget shortfall. But the CHA said it will harm critical services delivered to patients in the state. In a new TV ad put out by the CHA, longer wait times, fewer cancer screenings, and layoffs are all listed as potential consequences of the cuts.
"Tell Governor Malloy to stop cutting out hospital care. Lives depend on it," the ad says.
But speaking on WNPR'sWhere We Live, Malloy said the cuts are necessary. He said executive-level compensation at hospitals is spiraling out of control.
"I think Republican candidates and Democratic candidates are talking about how health care has gotten too darn expensive," Malloy said. "And if you're going to raise people's taxes, then you have to expect an industry that's making a billion dollars a year in your community to trim its sails, or at least not increase what you're giving them so that they can make more money."
Watch the governor speak on Where We Live below.
Legislative leaders met Wednesday in a private meeting with Malloy and agreed the current $20 billion budget is approximately $350 million to $370 million in the red. That figure includes the $103 million in cuts announced by Malloy.
A special legislative session on the budget may be held in December.