2013 Press Releases

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• 12/30/2013 State Files Brief in Support of Physicians in United Healthcare Appeal

• 12/19/2013 Consumer Alert: AG, DCP Offer Immediate Steps for Shoppers Concerned About Target Data Breach

  Attorney General George Jepsen and state Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner William M. Rubenstein today warned Connecticut consumers to take necessary precautions following news of a major data breach at Target stores across the country.

• 12/19/2013 AG Jepsen: Connecticut Joins in $2.1B State-Federal Settlement with Mortgage Servicer Ocwen

  Ocwen Financial Corporation and its subsidiary, Ocwen Loan Servicing, have agreed to a $2.1 billion joint state-federal settlement with Attorney General George Jepsen, 48 additional states and the District of Columbia and the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

• 12/19/2013 Attorney General Urges Congress to Again Extend Tax Relief for Distressed Homeowners

  Attorney General George Jepsen is once again leading a national effort by state attorneys general who are urging Congress to extend tax relief for consumers who have mortgage debt canceled or forgiven because of financial hardship or a decline in housing values.

• 12/17/2013 AG Jepsen Joins Colleagues in Bipartisan Support of Proposed Federal “Patent Troll” Project

  Attorney General George Jepsen has joined with 42 other state and territorial attorneys general in expressing support for a Federal Trade Commission proposed project to collect information about Patent Assertion Entities, also known as “patent trolls.”

• 12/17/2013 Statement from AG Jepsen on AT&T Wireline Sale to Frontier Communications

  “My focus will be on evaluating the effect that this transaction will have on quality of service provided at reasonable rates, as well as the impact on competition, Connecticut’s workforce and the state’s efforts to streamline and improve the use and control of utility poles."

• 12/12/2013 Statement from Attorney General Jepsen on CMS Response to United Healthcare Terminations

  “I am deeply disappointed by CMS’s response and its continuing refusal to take concrete action to protect thousands of patients affected by United Healthcare’s terminations of Connecticut physicians."

• 12/10/2013 Statement from Attorney General Jepsen on United Healthcare’s Continued Physician Terminations

  “This move is further evidence of United’s unwillingness to act reasonably and in the best interest of its beneficiaries. It will only add to the confusion that United has already caused for thousands of patients, their families and their caregivers.”

• 12/9/2013 Statement from Attorney General Jepsen on Opening of Settlement Negotiations, Withdrawal of SCOTUS Petition in SEBAC Case

  “Our focus will continue to be on evaluating if funds raised in the past have been handled appropriately, and to ensure that any remaining funds – or future funds, if the tournament or other fundraising efforts go forward – are directed to their intended charitable purpose.”

• 12/9/2013 Statement on Ongoing Joint Investigation into Hartford’s Doc Hurley Scholarship Foundation

  “Our focus will continue to be on evaluating if funds raised in the past have been handled appropriately, and to ensure that any remaining funds – or future funds, if the tournament or other fundraising efforts go forward – are directed to their intended charitable purpose.”

• 12/9/2013 Gov. Malloy: Conn. Joins Seven Other Neighboring States in Action to Require Upwind States to Reduce Air Pollution

  Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that Connecticut is sending a powerful message to upwind states: Stop dumping your air pollution on us – it’s time to clean up your act.

• 12/6/2013 Statement from AG Jepsen on Federal Judge’s Decision in United Healthcare Case

  This decision is welcome news for the thousands of United Healthcare Medicare Advantage Plan beneficiaries in Connecticut who would be affected by these terminations. I commend the Fairfield and Hartford County Medical Associations for bringing this action to the court on behalf of their members and their patients."

• 12/5/2013 Gov. Malloy, AG Jepsen & President Herbst Statements on Plea Agreement in Matter Involving DEEP and Unilever

  Governor Dannel P. Malloy, Attorney General George Jepsen and UConn President Susan Herbst released the following statements today following approval of a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorneys’ Office and Conopco, Inc. (better known as Unilever) in a matter involving Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).

• 12/2/2013 Statement of Attorney General George Jepsen on Lawrence + Memorial Hospital Labor Dispute

  "L + M need not wait for negotiations to start, or to bear fruit, before permitting workers to return to their jobs. My hope is that, through discussions, an amicable resolution can be achieved that both preserves good middle class jobs and guarantees the sustainable delivery of quality healthcare by L + M into the future."

• 11/26/2013 AG Jepsen Seeks Information from Connecticut Hospitals on Facility Fee Disclosures, Provider Acquisitions

  Attorney General George Jepsen sent letters last week to the state’s hospitals seeking broad information about their acquisition of independent physician practices, free-standing ambulatory surgical centers and urgent care centers and seeking detailed descriptions of their disclosure of hospital affiliation and any facility fees charged to patients seeking care.