Dodd Works in $100 Million in Healthcare Bill for UConn Hospital

Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd has a vested interest in passing the hotly debated healthcare bill in the Senate. Not only does Dodd, a high-ranking Democrat, desperately want healthcare reform, but he also wants $100 million for his state's hospitals.

His favorite destination for the cash would be UConn, where Dodd hopes the teaching hospital will be updated, the Chronicle of Higher Ed reports. The report says that several academic medical centers could compete for the money if the bill passes, and the language in the bill requires that the money goes to a facility "affiliated with an academic health center." That medical center must be at a public research university in the United States "that contains a state's sole public academic medical and dental school," the report says.

The Hartford Courant reports that UConn will go hard after the money.

"We very much appreciate Senator Dodd's willingness to offer up this proposal and we can't thank him enough for all his hard work on behalf of the state and the University of Connecticut," UConn President Michael Hogan said in a written statement. "We are currently looking at the language in the bill and are hopeful that this will become law so that we can apply for the grant. Without question, UConn has a compelling case to make for awarding this funding to our institution.

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