[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6373238,"mediaKeyId","2146159-536a822a993a498b24b11be0d22a2106","parentId",2146159,"title","Committee advances Kristen L. Erbach for Connecticut Port Authority board","audioSeconds",7057,"startMs",88000,"endMs",7145000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2146159-536a822a993a498b24b11be0d22a2106&start=88&end=7145","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2146159-536a822a993a498b24b11be0d22a2106/thumbnail_88000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6373238/Connecticut/Committee-advances-Kristen-L-Erbach-for-Connecticut-Port-Authority-board","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6373238-52a90ef03ee242e945ff771a7ecf885b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771160664&Signature=PJIzugk3KBovukx5gxtL-Hdk9SOgw42RA7FK1hh0QDyNWTms37-aRScUTeHJ2pK1-n-WFDRJ3vBH-3XL~vLwND30i3ttRtUD1qsYMMAYyjb541M929Ftwsj9UiIN2lU9bBPp9QaBq1NzjtkxR6DQu0YcrXKjKQHZGqspwrqLWk2ZT-s3ehMQN9IMNke~rTvPLR0XLf5k6JQdQFJyuaqh56LWCM~WVRGb2J1HG1RVrYXdxd97ULwltMcDIjWgiEZ6e5IiYw6fnFhppAZJQtv08GkggJp7Wb-80wENY-Cxl4IYHI9~2y-ZD3jLESWqtNcR1U90CFLhuVFVnrfGGMI~Uw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","CGA - Executive & Legislative Nominations","date","2025-01-23T00:00:00Z","article","Kristen L. Erbach, nominee to the Connecticut Port Authority board, told the Executive Legislative Nominations Committee on Jan. 23 that she is “honored to be considered for a full term position on the Connecticut Port Authority Board” and emphasized her work on offshore wind and workforce development.

Erbach said she brings more than two decades of leadership experience and currently serves as executive director of the Connecticut Wind Collaborative. She described Connecticut’s State Pier in New London as an assembling and staging point for offshore wind and said a 10-year lease supports ongoing turbine marshaling operations. “There are 3 wind farms that are currently — 1 that’s been built, South Fork, and then 2 that are under construction, Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind. So that totals 160 turbines,” Erbach said.

The Port Authority nomination drew questions from committee members about residency, inter‑state port coordination and local economic opportunities. Representative Godfrey asked whether Erbach, who lives in Narragansett, Rhode Island, had attended Port Authority meetings; Erbach said she has attended meetings since her interim appointment and has “been able to ask a lot of important questions” and learn about the authority’s activities. Representative Yacarino asked whether Connecticut coordinates with Rhode Island ports; Erbach said “we are in discussions with their ports” and called them “definitely stakeholders that we work with.”

Members pressed Erbach on Connecticut locations beyond New London. Erbach said she has visited Bridgeport and New Haven and organized demonstrations and industry events, including a hoist and vessel tour at Bridgeport Boat Works tied to offshore wind activity. She also described hosting a Dutch Offshore Wind Innovation Delegation at the State Pier and said the delegation’s visit “underscores Connecticut’s strong relationship with the Kingdom of the Netherlands” and highlighted local businesses and infrastructure supporting the offshore wind economy.

Committee members raised environmental and operational questions. Erbach highlighted mitigation measures used during construction, including bubble curtains and marine monitoring systems she said are employed by companies in Connecticut to reduce noise and protect marine mammals.

The committee moved to consider the nomination in its business session. A motion to advance the nomination was made by Representative Godfrey and seconded by Representative Gattarino; the nomination was approved by roll call and will move forward for further consideration.

Erbach said she has served an interim term on the Connecticut Port Authority since August 2024 and expressed interest in continuing work on economic development, infrastructure modernization and workforce development tied to the State Pier and offshore wind activity.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","The Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee Public Hearing followed by a Committee 2025-01-23","oneSentenceSummary","Kristen L. Erbach, nominee to the Connecticut Port Authority board, told the Executive Legislative Nominations Committee on Jan. 23 that she is “honored to be considered for a full term position on the Connecticut Port Authority Board” and emphasized her work on offshore wind and workforce development.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature CT, Connecticut","taxId",77677,"location","Connecticut","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6373231,"Committee advances Kathleen Ungerholt for state health care advocate; nominee emphasizes outreach, analytics and appeals work",5709,1051000,6760000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2146159-536a822a993a498b24b11be0d22a2106&start=1051&end=6760","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2146159-536a822a993a498b24b11be0d22a2106/thumbnail_1051000.jpg","/articles/6373231/Connecticut/Committee-advances-Kathleen-Ungerholt-for-state-health-care-advocate-nominee-emphasizes-outreach-analytics-and-appeals-work","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6373231-0804077a395b27be49ccb3f7b6ad0fcc/orig.mp4?Expires=1771160664&Signature=YBC5nJE8L9g7zKXT0Mp5nZvhZxvLltJ0mOab32fgph45RlEMyG0jgffz6oKXnqpOoMQqZ3YcP06jVANZvF9DxkG1tUYLuXRZ9aEV5oi~CQyhEVCxc4iY8S4OBNqmtL94PiLsYYnL7bBficAXVenaoD1pEIrEWp3qtVYzyL8XmskG6qnk8Kyv6LlBL-3EJiWviMYEjQa1lx8WCJVtjMFWrBoLtr82h~LTl2TEMGGZ8WS~VhCvaq50AT9occalYRsGE9b9UXN3TxqVGp35eCsM4awNd357YfCSOWr8SIxMTcP6dyH4Dzc2jL6UGT9GTPNcNOu2DJk-RJlu0-w1rC3fMQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kathleen Ungerholt, nominated to be Connecticut’s health care advocate, told the Executive Legislative Nominations Committee on Jan. 23 that the office is “a capstone opportunity” and described work to expand outreach and modernize systems that handle appeals and consumer assistance.

Ungerholt, who has served as acting health care advocate for about three months, reviewed her career in hospital finance and administration, insurance benefits, government health work and legal advocacy. “In my brief tenure as acting health care advocate, the office has already begun to increase outreach and accessibility opportunities, improve our educational offerings and our consumer communication, modernize work processes to serve more individuals, and build on stronger relationships with providers, carriers, and state and federal colleagues,” she said.

Ungerholt described the office’s caseload and priorities. She said the Office of the Health Care Advocate (OHA) serves about 5,000 consumers a year; about 16 staff focus on individual consumer assistance, supported by one data/reporting position and agency management. Ungerholt said the office’s nurses and case teams review medical records and that when the office pursues appeals “we win health care insurance appeals 70 to 80 percent of the time,” which she said saves money for consumers and the insurance fund that finances the agency.

She told the committee the office needs better data analytics, a modern case-management system, expanded marketing and outreach, and improved accessibility for people with hearing or vision impairments. “We need to be more proactive and not just reactive,” Ungerholt said, adding that the office has been asked to present its consumer-assistance work at a national level.

Committee members pressed Ungerholt about common case types and timing. Ungerholt gave examples in which appeals led insurers to reverse denials: a claim reprocessed from out-of-network to in‑network after review, ambulance bills reprocessed to relieve member liability, and a denied cancer‑surgery claim reprocessed with no member liability. She said many denials are overturned after the office obtains medical records and a clinician review: “less than 1% of people who are denied either prior authorization or claims ever even appeal the denial,” she said, and of those who do appeal “they’re typically overturned about 70 to 80% of the time.”

Legislators raised broader issues such as prior authorization, step therapy, peer‑review specialty matching, and coding. Ungerholt said the office supports shifting more specificity and, in some cases, the burden of proof to insurers and noted New Jersey as an example for prior authorization rules. She also described conversations with carriers and with the Department of Insurance to obtain information and help consumers when market disruptions occur.

Members asked about OHA resources and outreach. Ungerholt said the agency has about 18 total staff, that one attorney recently left for another state role, and that the office has roughly $50,000 budgeted for advertising and outreach; she said she planned listening tours and in-person community engagement. Ungerholt said the office handles contacts by triage, typically responding the same day if contacted by 3 p.m., and that staff work in teams to move urgent matters to the front of the line.

The committee moved to consider Ungerholt’s nomination in its business session. A motion to advance the nomination was made by Senator Looney and seconded by Representative Godfrey; the nomination was approved by roll call and will move forward for further consideration.","Kathleen Ungerholt, nominated to be Connecticut’s health care advocate, told the Executive Legislative Nominations Committee on Jan. 23 that the office is “a capstone opportunity” and described work to expand outreach and modernize systems that handle appeals and consumer assistance.","actionData","errors"]

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Committee advances Kristen L. Erbach for Connecticut Port Authority board

Committee advances Kathleen Ungerholt for state health care advocate; nominee emphasizes outreach, analytics and appeals work