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01/05/2020 11:00 PMThis morning, State Representative Sean Scanlon (D-98) announced he will seek a fourth term in the Connecticut General Assembly.
“Serving the people of Guilford and Branford has been the greatest honor of my life and whether it’s working with the Song family to pass Ethan’s Law or protecting people with pre-existing conditions from insurance discrimination, I’m proud of what I’ve been able to do for this district and am hoping my constituents will give me the chance to do this job I love for another two years,” said Scanlon.
Scanlon, who ran unopposed in 2016 and 2018, said he plans to work hard to earn the support of the community this year regardless of whether he has an opponent or not.
“I knocked on 5,000 doors the first time I ran and around 2,000 doors in each of my last campaigns, even though I was unopposed, because it still remains the best place for me to get feedback from people about what they want me to be working on,” said Scanlon. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten my best ideas for bills standing on someone’s doorstep or having them call me a month or a year later saying, ‘Hey Sean, you stopped by my house and told me to call you if I had an idea and now I do.’ That is the best part of this job.”
Ethan’s Law
In addition to constituent service, Scanlon said passing Ethan’s Law last year is one of the things he is most proud of accomplishing since taking office. The law, named after Guilford teenager Ethan Song, requires all firearms to be properly stored in homes with minors under age 18. Scanlon wrote the bill with Ethan’s parents, Kristin and Mike Song, and his Republican colleague State Representative Vincent Candelora (R-86).
“In the wake of an incredible tragedy, it was truly an honor to work with Vin (Candelora) and the Songs to write and pass the first overwhelmingly bi-partisan gun safety bill in the history of Connecticut,” said Scanlon. “This bill will without a doubt prevent future tragedies like to one we experienced here in Guilford from happening in other towns and I’m grateful to have helped make it happen in the name of Ethan.”
Passing Major Health Care Legislation
As chairman of the legislature’s Insurance and Real Estate committee, Scanlon said he spends the majority of his time on health care issues and was proud to author and pass several important pieces of legislation in 2019 including:
• Mental health parity: From now on, insurance companies must cover behavioral health at the same rate as physical health so that no one with a disease of the brain is treated differently than someone with a disease of the body.
• Pre-existing condition protection: With the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) unclear, Scanlon wrote and passed legislation codifying the ACA’s protections for people with pre-existing conditions into state law so that in the event the ACA is repealed, the over 500,000 Connecticut residents with pre-existing conditions would not face discrimination for having cancer or heart disease.
• Improving access for breast cancer screenings: As of Jan. 1, all women who are 40 and older are entitled to breast ultrasounds and mammograms with no out-of-pocket expense regardless of their family history thanks to a bill Scanlon passed in 2019.
• Expanded coverage for hearing aids: In 2019, Scanlon passed legislation eliminating age restrictions for insurance coverage of hearing aids and also expanded the required level of coverage to ensure individuals who need to replace hearing aids are guaranteed one hearing aid per year regardless of cost every two years.
“I believe everyone in Connecticut should have access to quality and affordable health care and I’ve been proud to pass dozens of bills in the last three years since becoming chair of the Insurance Committee to improve access and lower costs,” said Scanlon.
Leading the Fight for Lower Drug Costs
In 2018, Scanlon passed Connecticut’s first prescription price transparency legislation. The law, which takes effect this year, requires drug companies to justify large price increases when they raise the price of a drug by 20 percent in one year or 50 percent over three years.
In 2019, Scanlon led the fight to lower drug costs by introducing legislation that would have allowed Connecticut to import safe and cheap prescription drugs from Canada. Scanlon said his idea was truly bipartisan and is supported by everyone from U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders to President Donald Trump. The problem, said Scanlon, is the pharmaceutical industry.
“In the last two years, I’ve become public enemy number one of big pharma here in Connecticut but that’s fine by me because I know the people I represent want me to be fighting this fight on their behalf,” he said.
Scanlon’s bill passed the House by an overwhelming margin of 112-28 but did not come up for a vote in the state Senate before the legislative session ended in June. Scanlon said re-introducing the bill along with a second bill capping the price of insulin is his number-one health care priority for the 2020 session that starts in February.