"It's something that screams out as common sense," Courtney, D-2nd District, told the assemblage during a luncheon address at the Mystic Marriott. "The cost of medication continues to go up faster than inflation."
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, another speaker Monday, pointed out the state has done its share to make health care more affordable by giving more people access to insurance through Access Health Connecticut, a program that came out of the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare. In the past decade since the program's launch, she said, the percentage of people in Connecticut who are uninsured has fallen from 10% to 5%.
State officials and program overseers who attended the summit, sponsored by Access Health Connecticut and the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut, thanked small business owners for their dedication to creating jobs in Connecticut.
Now, the state-funded WBDC operates in four cities, including New London, and is about to open its fifth site in Hartford, providing Ignite Grants of up to $10,000 for female-led small businesses to gain access to capital to scale up their operations. It also offers free advice and networking opportunities.
Courtney pointed out that southeastern Connecticut's economy is humming along as the fastest growing labor market in Connecticut and the second fastest-growing in New England, thanks largely to the 5,300 new jobs being created at Electric Boat on an annual basis.
In 2023, the program launched with about 700 companies signing on; now, there are close to 6,400 participating.
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