Connecticut can credibly claim to be the insurance capital of the world, or at least one of them, as the state is home to two of the nation’s largest for-profit health insurers, Aetna and Cigna.
Directing the Connecticut lobbying interests of Cigna, Aetna and a handful of other major commercial health carriers operating in the state is the Connecticut Association of Health Plans (CAHP), managed by the government relations practice of Hartford law firm Robinson+Cole.
The insurance lobbying effort is led by practice chair Keith Stover, and also includes Susan Halpin, who has held the title of executive director of the health plan association.
Halpin was chief of staff at Stover’s lobbying firm Duffy/Stover Inc. and moved to Robinson+Cole with him in 1990 when he founded the firm’s government relations practice. Both lobbyists have prior experience working on political campaigns. Halpin previously held legislative jobs at the Capitol and Stover was once an executive assistant to the president of the Connecticut AFL-CIO.
As major employers, health insurers wield significant power in the halls of the state Capitol. For example, in 2019 insurers reportedly helped kill a “public option” bill that aimed to save small businesses money by allowing them to enroll in the state’s health plan.