Delaware Senate budget Trey Paradee

Budget blows through Senate; bit slower in the House

Betsy PriceGovernment, Headlines

The 2025 Delaware state budget quickly passed the Senate Thursday afternoon and the House in the evening. The $6.1 billion budget, outlined in Senate Bill 325, goes into effect July 1, and likely will be signed into law next week by Gov. John Carney before the session ends. Quick budget approval hasn’t always been the case in the General Assembly. …

Hospitals deal hospital

Hospitals, legislators reach deal on state review board

Betsy PriceHeadlines, Government

State hospitals and legislators have reached a deal that will see House Bill 350, a bill to set up a state board that could review and force changes to hospital budgets, become law. Based on expected amendments, “the Delaware Healthcare Association stands neutral on HB 350 and will no longer actively oppose the bill at this time,” said Brian Frazee, …

Leg Hall hospital board CPI

Bill to amend hospital board bill pops up for vote unannounced

Betsy PriceGovernment, Headlines

A bill to alter the controversial hospital board bill, which is still moving through the Senate, was filed in the Delaware House at 2:55 p.m. Tuesday and showed up unannounced in the House Administration Committee at noon Wednesday morning. Despite protests from House Minority Leader Mike Ramone, R-Newark/Pike Creek, and Lyndon Yearick, R-Camden, about the speed and non-transparency of the …

University of Delaware President Dennis Assanis at the board of trustees meeting.

University of Delaware president paints rosy picture to board

Ken MammarellaEducation, Headlines

University of Delaware President Dennis Assanis offered a grab-bag of ideas to the UD board of trustees at their semiannual meeting on Tuesday. They include increasing stipends for graduate students (reaching $24,500 to $36,000, depending on how much they teach and other factors), expanding the honors college (ā€œnow exceeding 17,000 applications for 600 spotsā€), ā€œstrengthening our entrepreneurship ecosystemā€ (hopefully increasing …

The year's biggest data breach involves software called MOVEit. M&T Bank is one of the companies affected. (Towfiqu photo from Unsplash)

M&T among 1,000 places hit so far in huge data breach

Ken MammarellaBusiness, Headlines

The biggest security breach of the year has affected 60 million people so far, including customers of Delawareā€™s biggest bank, M&T Bank. The hack dates back to the end of May, TechCrunch said, with experts saying that the hackers knew about the vulnerability in the MOVEit software as far back as 2021. Cl0p, a ransomware group linked to Russia, claimed …

Insurance and prescription costs are going up for state retirees. (National Cancer Institute)

State retirees on Medicare to pay 5% more for Medicfill plan

Sam HautGovernment, Headlines

People who have retired from the state of Delaware and are now on Medicare will pay 5% more for the stateā€™s special Medicfill insurance plan, a committee decided on Monday. The change starts Jan. 1. The State Employee Benefits Committee had voted in March to increase premiums 9.4% for those on the group health insurance plan but not on Medicare. …

TSD Review March 23

Town Square LIVE Weekly Review ā€“ Mar. 23, 2023

Sonja FreyTown Square Live, Weekly Review

Click on the image below to view the PDF This Weekā€™s Top Headlines Include: Community Pete du Pont records archive opens at Hagley Library Gaming, social media can help set up kids for gambling issues Business Development Corp. highlights Riverfront East in hearing Medical marijuana meeting gets testy over testing costs Food & Dining Cooking for a Cause returns March …

Rise 4

Court halts state switch to Medicare Advantage

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

The stateā€™s plan to transition state government retireesā€™ health insurance from original Medicare to a privately-managed Medicare Advantage plan has been temporarily blocked.Ā  A Delaware Superior Court judge on Wednesday ordered the state to halt implementation of the plan until the case is fully adjudicated.Ā  The court will schedule a trial to make a final determination on the fate of …

Thursday, June 9, 2022

Legislature to reconvene to tackle Medicare Advantage

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

In response to protests by state government retirees who say they were left in the dark over a significant change to their health insurance, the General Assembly unveiled a bill Monday aimed at creating additional oversight. The House of Representatives and Senate will hold a special session in Dover on Oct. 26 to debate and vote on the bill. Pensioners …

Rise 1

State retirees protest Carney admin’s Medicare Advantage plan

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

Delaware state government retirees gathered in Wilmington Tuesday with a message for Gov. John Carney and his political appointees: ā€œKeep your hands off our Medicare.ā€ The crowd of mostly senior citizens planned to protest outside the Carvel State Office Building, where the governor, attorney general and New Castle County lawmakers have offices. Rain forced them indoors to the city and …