Governor vetoes bill allowing for-profits into medical foundations

Yesterday the Governor vetoed SB-992, a bill that would have allowed for-profit entities to join medical foundations to provide health services. The bill language was added to a different bill in the last hours of the legislative session. The bill resulted from lobbying by Waterbury Hospital and the for-profit Vanguard Health Systems from Tennessee that is seeking to buy the hospital. Since the bill passed, Vanguard announced that they are being acquired by Tenet Healthcare, adding to concerns from labor and consumer groups. The Governor noted the uncertainty about the bill’s impact in his veto message.