Looking Back

A page devoted to documents from years past that shed some light on contemporary issues in health and mental health. 

(Posted 10/22/2012) 
The following are excerpts from a letter I wrote to constituents that was published in my local newspaper on June 16, 1981, reporting on the accomplishments of Connecticut's 1981 legislative session.  It is a reminder of the difficulties of political compromise and the reality that federal health and mental health spending cuts will not take place in a vacuum, because they often put huge burdens on states and localities.

Editor, Middletown Press:

When I entered politics, I was told that the measure of a successful compromise was the satisfaction of the people - when no one was satisfied, the compromise was a good one.  If this is the case, and only if this is the case, then our recently completed General Assembly session was a success.

From the start, we were caught between a perception that the level of governmental service has been declining for several years and a belief that, at the same time, government has been taxing too much.  Our end product reflected the tension in these perceptions....

Our state budget problems have been caused in part by federal policies, and our troubles will be compounded this fall.  Many Reagan cuts are not federal budget cuts, but eliminations of dollars which had been turned back to states to run programs such as alcohol and drug treatment facilities and preventive health care programs, or to provide medicaid support for nursing home patients....

While the overall picture is not very optimistic, I am pleased that a number of matters on which I worked this year moved successfully through the Legislature.  A new respite care program will hopefully keep people out of institutions.  Funds for sheltered workshops and community training homes for the mentally retarded will strengthen our system of support.  A new day care center will open at either CVH or Norwich [state psychiatric hospital].  The rights of our handicapped citizens have been strengthened, the personal fund allowance for nursing home patients has been increased.... This list is important and varied.

Very truly yours,

Paul Gionfriddo, State Representative
(Published in the Middletown Press, June 16, 1981


(Posted May 7, 2012)
The following is a letter, published in my local newspaper, that I wrote as a state legislator to constituents on October 7, 1988, to explain my views on health coverage and health reform.  An almost identical piece could be written today, changing only the names of the presidential candidates.

Editor, Middletown Press:

Over 250,000 of Connecticut’s citizens have no health insurance at all.  Perhaps 4,000 of these individuals live in Middletown. 

These two staggering facts raise one of the most troublesome problems to confront state governments at this time.  When insurance is necessary to pay for health care, how do we ensure that everyone has access to affordable insurance? 

Both presidential candidates talk about this.  Governor Dukakis believes that the answer lies in the private sector, in all employers providing health insurance to their employees.  Vice President Bush believes that the answer lies in the public sector, in expanding the state and federal financed Medicaid programs.  I know this looks like a classic role reversal, but solutions to health care dilemmas defy ideology.

Who are the uninsured?  They are not welfare recipients, because they are covered by Medicaid.  They are not usually over 65, because most senior citizens have medical bills at least partially covered by Medicare.

People who are uninsured are generally people who are self-employed or work in low-paying jobs, people who are unemployed but not on welfare, people who are sick and uninsurable, and the children of all these people.

According to national data, people with insurance are in worse health than people who have insurance, but see doctors less often.  There therefore cost more to care for than those who are insured, leading to higher hospital costs, higher health care prices for the rest of us, and higher insurance premiums.

If there were not so many people without insurance, our system could absorb the costs of their care.  But it can’t anymore.  We have to get insurance to more people, and government’s got to play a role.

I believe that the answer lies somewhere between the Dukakis and Bush proposals.  We need to provide incentives, such as tax credits, to those businesses which offer insurance to employees, but we must expand the use of risk pools, to get more private insurance on the market, and expand our public offerings, too.

4,000 people in Middletown should not be without health insurance.  Our people think of health care as a right, but I think it is fast becoming a privilege too few of us will be able to afford.

Sincerely,

Paul Gionfriddo, State Representative

Published in the Middletown Press, October 7, 1988